Band:	Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster
Album:	Wires/Dream\Wires
Style:	Post-Rock, Post-metal
Release date:	August 24, 2015
A review by:	BitterCOld

01. Oko
02. Consume
03. Orogenic
04. Wires/Dream\Wires
05. Antirazor
06. Murasame
07. Nexus
08. Disposable
09. Passing

Sometimes life is full of surprises.

About a month ago, after a long three and a half year run, I deleted Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster's Exegesis off my space-deprived iPhone to make way for albums to be reviewed. Not one week passes when out of the blue Tom emails me and asks if I want to review their newest album. Needless to say I jumped at the chance.

Wires/Dream\Wires see the band returning after three years off pretty much in stride with Exegesis.

TNBD play post metal and follow the basic blue print of the genre, which is to see quiet instrumental pieces which slowly build up to distortion pedal stomping crescendos. Hooray. Another band in a long line of post-it note acts.

Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster stand apart for several reasons.

First - they adhere to the basic recipe, but they carved out their own niche. You have ebbs and flows, build-ups and releases, but it doesn't just sound like another Explosions In The Sky knock off. It's not post-it by numbers. They have their own slightly mutant version with their own flourishes and swells. Every player has their part, every player has their moment, and they all fit together.

Second - they do it better than most. Far better. It just feels more evocative. The entire point of the genre is to try to paint a picture with sound. To go with that analogy, their music would be hanging in a gallery somewhere, while most of what I've listened to would be on display in an office building. The kind that sells office supplies, perhaps, like Post-It notes.

Third - There are the exception to the rule. My normal advice to post bands not named after bridge collapses is to cut the singing. Too much HUHIGIGGAWWWRRR too loud in the mix that makes me want to jam barbed metal skewers into my ears. TNBD vocals are great and add to the music.

So with Wires/Dream\Wires the band have crafted songs that are a slight improvement on Exegesis, which is impressive given how much I enjoyed that album. Amusingly, however, it seems they took to heart the advice I've been trying to give the other acts. The album is nearly entirely instrumental. You get some vocals, a little muted, on the closer, "Passing". That's it.

Ultimately while initially a tad disappointed with the lack of vocals on this effort, after repeated listens it didn't terribly much matter.

Wires/Dream\Wires is like a big, massive hamburger loaded with bacon, grilled onions, mushrooms, or whatever else you dig on your favorite. This is my review, my palate is king. When the plate arrives you might expect a mountain of fries to greet you along with the burger, only to find a handful? woe is the diner. However once you've devoured the tasty, tasty burger you realize it's a damned fine meal on its own and you didn't need the fries in the first place.

Or something like that. Side note, I probably shouldn't review on an empty stomach.

I'll just say three years and change ago Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster re-ignited some enthusiasm in a genre that seemed doing its finest to choke it out of me. The same holds true now with Wires/Dream\Wires. A thoroughly enjoyable album, great for enthusiasts of the genre as well as a good starting point for those looking to dabble.

Conveniently, streaming here.