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Written by Kevin Renick Wednesday, 25 January 2006 12:16

Musical touchstones aren’t obvious, but you can hear shades of early Echo & the Bunnymen in some songs, and if anybody out there remembers pre-Britpop Brits Comsat Angels, that band’s lost-sounding vocalist and forlorn dirge-rockers definitely bear comparison.

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Fear Is on Our Side, the band’s debut full-length (after 2003’s well-received EP), is a thoroughly impressive platter that manages to balance a palpable sense of emotional unease with invigorating musical arrangements. Musical touchstones aren’t obvious, but you can hear shades of early Echo & the Bunnymen in some songs, and if anybody out there remembers pre-Britpop Brits Comsat Angels, that band’s lost-sounding vocalist and forlorn dirge-rockers definitely bear comparison. But ILYBICD need not be saddled with the weight of aural antecedents—this is a splendid rock band right here, right now.

Let’s start by acknowledging the stellar rhythm section of Tim White (drums) and Edward Robert (bass), who produce an insistent pulse throughout this record that’s almost subliminal at times. They’re not afraid to play simply, but they understand the beauty of repetition when you’ve got a killer groove going, as on hypnotic numbers like “According to Plan” (where the whole tune moves like low-hanging clouds prefacing a fierce storm) and the vaguely Joy Division–like “Last Ride Together.” Vocalist Christian Goyer is all about the eye peering through the hand on your face, clearly in touch with some shadowy emotional reality, but not really wanting to spill it all out neatly. He’s engaging without really being the band’s centerpiece.

That would most likely be the droning guitar textures conjured by Ernest Salaz and Daniel Del Favero, which explore dark, ambient depths on short instrumentals like “The Owl” and the title track, and keep your attention riveted during churning, masterfully executed little gems such as “Long Walk.” That tune showcases the band at its very best, equal parts trudging across the terrain of the tortured psyche and emerging indie rock band playing at their most inspired. Nine songs in, this unforgettable track would seem to be the album’s peak, but in fact, it kicks off one of the most impressive closing song cycles I’ve heard in a long while. Hot on its heels come the spine-tingling “-” (yes, that’s a hyphen)—with deliriously good vocals, background harmonies, and rhythmic progression—and the bracingly elemental closer “If It Was Me,” which motors the dark waters of rockin’ melancholia like these mopey Texans invented it. They didn’t, but they’ve given it a truly captivating showcase on Fear Is on Our Side.