The self-titled debut from Philly trio Busses succeeds by wandering through various realms of rock. This Fishtown group, consisting of guitarist/vocalist Dave Brett, drummer Nick Apice and multi-instrumentalist Jason Bachman, creates a sound much larger than the pieces themselves. Besides enlisting the help of a few horn blowing friends, these guys have compiled an expansive seven track album that is built on walls of sound that are constantly broken down by calming or haunting interludes.
The album may not be the flashiest or most refined, but the loose, crescendo instrumental break of opener “Foundation Myth” highlights the bands wavering yet focused style. The song recalls Built To Spill not only in the vocals but the comfortable relationship between band members musically. The dynamics of the album shift quickly to a more subdued sound that hints at crescendo without fully delivering until the unhinged back portion of the song that leads to the psychedelic “House On Fire” in which Brett displays his impressive faux-classic wail. “Safe Vacation Destination” continues in the same vein with an eerie Bollywood vocal meditation before it evolves into a blissed out jam with strong Mars Volta vibes coming through. From there, the album settles down becoming more conventionally song driven while still exploring various sounds and musical interplay. The slow reggae style guitar line of “Gaurded and Safe” is a surprising and welcome change of pace. Finally, the Sea and Cake-esque “Time/Place” saunters on a staccato guitar line before blitzing out in the last minute. The band never settles into one sound which requires the listener to stay on their toes, which can be at times annoying and other times rewarding. This time it is the latter. The album climbs and dives sonically and manages to create a compact and dense piece of work.
Busses will be opening tonight for producer extraordinaire Jeff Zeigler’s Arc in Round at JB’s. Zeigler also engineered and mixed Busses’ debut self-titled album.
– Adam G.