PREDATOR OR PREY

Larval is a Bill Brovord band that fuses standard avant-prog instrumentation and songwriting with a post-rock texture. The resulting mix is quite interesting and very enjoyable for fans of both genres.

This band is in essence an avant-prog band. It has this quirky sound with instruments such as the sax, cello, viola and piano to accompany the standard rock instrumentation and to also give the album a touch of chamber music. The tenor sax is obviously the main instrument here in this album. It gives the album a humor touch to the already cheerful playing of these guys. The back bone of this zany sound is the post-rock part of the band which can be seen in the delicate parts of the album, the (sort of) minimalist approach to their melodies and even the guitar playing, to some extent. There are some notable post-rockish parts in here as well like the song "Predator or Prey" which has quite possibly the funniest and craziest crescendo in all the post-rock world. Other songs such as "The Entity Returns" show a softer side where the band's influences are more dominant. Aside from the quirky and happy way of playing of these guys there's also a sinister atmosphere hidden in the background that sometimes comes out and shows itself like in "The Crippled Dance" thanks to Bill's guitar playing, but those parts soon come to an end and songs like "Half A Bubble Off Level" dominate most of the time.

This is a well rounded album that has many good things going for it, but I feel it lacks something. I'm not quite sure what it is, but there's definitely something missing although it's still perfectly executed. If you're a post-rock fan with a need of something more daring and happy then Larval's Predator or Prey is a great album to check out and for avant-prog fans with a need of a more guitar dominant sound to their music then this is for you as well.

3.5 out of 5