THE ICHTHYOLOGIST

This album has quite a bit of potential, and I can see it growing on quite a few people, but not me. It seems far too contrived, particularly in the vocals department. Musically, it's quite good, but firstly, there's much better in this category, and secondly, the loud, explosive guitars tend to have a horrible tone.

"Panthalassa (Lampetra tridentata)" With lazily played toms and an exotic guitar theme, the album begins. It abruptly becomes something loud and mildly obnoxious. While the melodic guitars are a plus, the vocals are noisy, whiny, and subtract from an otherwise decent performance.

"La Brea Tar Pits (Pseudomonas putida)" Loud vocals and heavy music continue on this one until two minutes in, when the vocals become a whisper over clean guitar and straightforward drumming. The banjo at the end adds a slight Oriental flavor.

"Sutterville (Vibrio cholerae)" The beginning of this piece has a sultry mood to it, like it could be part of the soundtrack for a movie about a 1920s gumshoe.

"Dead Man Slough (Pacifastacus leniusculus)" This is a bouncier track with pleasant instrumentation. The melody is light and enjoyable, with both a female and male vocalist. The banjo and violin are a great aspect of this piece.

"Throwing A Donner Party At Sea (Physeter catodon)" The gritty bass is amazing in this song, but the song itself is a bit of a mess. Mainly, it's a bouncy rhythm with lots of screeching vocals.

"Sevengill (Notorynchus cepedianus)" Over a soft musical background, the singer remains in growl mode, but it remains in the low register, making the piece almost a sleepy one, but it's still one of the best tracks on the album. The violin is gorgeous, and leads into a powerful, female-fronted section.

"Mormon Island (Alluvial Au)" This soft-spoken track features whispered feminine vocals, distant banjo, and violin the in the forefront.

"Blue Linckia (Linckia laevigata)" Here we have some crashing segments of music interspersed with lovely violin and feminine vocals.

"Emerald Bay (Prionace glauca)" The deep singing sounds terribly manufactured and, while it may actually add to the track, it sounds a little silly by this point. The instrumental section is at once calming and enjoyable.

"Rubicon Wall (Acipenser transmontanus)" Beautiful instrumental layers begin this final track. The feminine vocals on this one do not strike me nearly as much as they did on "Mormon Island," and then there's those blasts of guitar that just sound awful, and even more so when the exaggerated vocals come in. The male vocals are just as bad; they make me cringe.