When one stews over their adolescence it might be hard to forget the embarrassing moments. For some people those moments are timeless and snowball that millisecond memory into a legend. These legends are tucked away into cabinets labeled, “For When I’m a Father/Mother” or “When the Time is Right…” Perhaps there’s the time where you never landed the kiss and you both sat there waiting. Or maybe your parent walked out of your proverbial “ball-game” and you still sat there — waiting. These legends of youth are told around campfires, cups of coffee or they pour out onto concrete while you lose yourself watching your favorite band. The power of these legends shape and contort our interactions within our creative outlets. Sinai Vessel is headed by Caleb Cordes who pours out his soul in their most recent EP Profanity. With temperaments like All The Day Holiday, Minus The Bear and Balance and Composure, Profanity is littered with stories about leaving home, growing up and perusing man hood. From start to finish it’s hard to put this EP down.
The opening track, “Cats”, starts off just like the snowball; it trickles through your speakers, each stuttered chug of the guitar and drum break roars like a finely tuned car. Their timing is synced like deep breaths and the melody is a fluttered exhale of passion. Cordes gives the listener exactly what they’d expect, energy. With his emotive writing process Cordes ends up belting at the top of his lungs the last frame of the song. If one was to capture the essence of this EP it would be this verse:
“…you’re a bell rung by the hour
a curse when we cut our feet
you’re a five-word liar’s chorus:
“you mean everything to me”…”
“Cats” immediately grabs your attention and sets the pace the EP, but Sinai Vessel doesn’t give away all their tricks and hooks within the first song; there are more moments to savor. The second track, “Greatham”, is a short 40-second acoustic melody recorded in raw DIY fuzz; the cicadas close out the piece luring you into track three, “Cuckold”. Like “Cats”, “Cuckold” is synced just right. The drumming is truly the strong point within this song. Nathan Larson, the drummer adds his own flair tumbling along like a much-needed tornado. It’s within this song that one can see how this band is influenced by the younger works of The Appleseed Cast, My Heart To Joy, Dads and Saves the Day. “Cuckold” and track four, “Down Around” harness a light atmospheric punk vibe, but they don’t throw it in your face. “Down Around” proves that a band can be diverse within their writing by switching up the style developing a swing beat pattern while adding the loveliest of horns.
By the fifth track, after the 6th or 7th play through of the EP one can see the microscopic issues that this band has. The songs begin to blend together, loosing some potential energy. There’s an aggression that is woven through out the album that is never fully taken advantage of, and for those truly in touch with their inner audiophile you might be hankering for something harder when it’s all over. It would be real easy for Sinai Vessel to push themselves over the ledge and become a “harder” sounding group and one almost hopes that they would. For some listeners, you might be disappointed that Profanity doesn’t push the envelope, but for others it might just be the EP that you needed to be reminded that great music is still being made in this style and genre.
Like all great EPs and albums there is always a surprise. Whether it’s tucked away in the liner notes or a hidden track after six minutes of silence, it always warms the heart to see bands do just a little bit more. When you get their EP off of Bandcamp you are treated to a wonderful cover of Nick Drake’s “Place To Be”. The cover is straightforward and doesn’t pull any wild punches; it’s just a pleasant treat. Pick up Profanity today and don’t forget to like them on Facebook when you do.
WORDKRAPHT Rating: 5 Stars
Album Name: Profanity
Date Released: December, 2013
Genre: Emo, Indie, Post-punk
Location: Cleveland, TN
Band Members: Caleb Cordes, Nathan Larson, David Wimbish
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sinaivessel
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/sinaivessel