Stomacher Provide an "Education" in Atmosphere

Stomacher’s album “Sentimental Education” won’t conjure up images of sunny days. Steeped in dark atmospherics, the band formerly known as In Reverent Fear has returned with a new member in tow (now a quintet), and a more focused sound. Hailing from the San Francisco bay area of California, the music suits the foggy mist of their hometown to perfection. It’s been three years since the last In Reverent Fear album “Stomacher” was released, and the band has adopted their album name as the new band name. The musical direction has changed towards a more post rock/ambient nature, but old fans will still easily embrace their new record as it is still very much the same band at its core. Still serving up loads of delay/reverb effects, Thom Yorke inspired vocals, and a gorgeous ambiance that breathes heavily in the shadows, Stomacher has returned while beginning anew.



The album opens with the title track featuring a slow meandering string section and atmospheric noise with samples chattering in the background. The bass line and drums dive forward after nearly a minute, with the vocals following closely behind. The electronic vibes mix with long sustained key strokes and shifting rhythms to set the dark and murky tone of the album. “Ghost Wail,” creeps with slinky finger picked guitars, and a dazzling emotional vocal delivery. While comparisons to Radiohead’s Thom Yorke are inevitable, singer Jarrod Taylor’s croon is consistently more controlled and slightly less wavering. Acoustic guitars pair with processed drifting noise as the song crescendos into an all too brief but delightful wall of sound. While eerie moodiness builds the general sound theme for the record, it is not without its upbeat moments. “Behavior” is one of these, with a pulsating rhythmic groove that is surrounded by catchy stop-start vocals, thick reverb, and an infectious bass line. The band locks in together for beautiful post rock inspired drifts that also bare a hint of influence from their fellow Bay Area natives Dredg and Deftones’ art-prog tendencies.

“Peasant Song” continues the upbeat and vibrant energy that pulsates like a non pretentious U2 or Muse composition. Taylor’s vocals range from deep moody wails to high piecing flourishes Jeff Buckley or Robert Plant would have been proud of. The crushing layers of guitar pound together with Jeff Tollefson’s insistent distorted bass work. Possibly the most triumphant cut of the album, it comes complete with cryptic lyrics, “You feel I’m a little bit guilty, with all this blood in my mouth”. The aggressive momentum plummets on “The Devil,” a slow string and keyboard based atmospheric piece that would fit incredibly well in any given indie movie score. An emotional vocal performance equals the tone of the strings to give the track its heart wrenching mood. “Coming on a Black Day” moves back into the astounding darkness with the gorgeously sleepy ethereal playing and smooth vocal melodies. The song writing is worth noting as Stomacher focus on their songs as a whole, making murky yet memorable artistic expressions, rather than focusing on the members individual contributions. “Police” sounds as if it could have been influenced by, well… The Police. Rest assured, the song is still very much Stomacher, featuring a bouncing rhythm, anthemic sing a long chorus, and twinkling guitars that could draw comparisons somewhere between aspects of the aforementioned band, The Cure, and Joy Division.

“Any Joan A Lady” continues to infuse acoustic guitar layering within the bubbling keyboard synth and delicate percussion. Taylor sings with quiet passion and woozy lustful style over the bluesy guitar licks for a seductive and swampy tone. “Parade” rolls in with lush atmospherics creating a thick haze, complimented by the clean and precise drum pattern from John Lazarus. Fluid guitars blend together for a dense but sparkling gliding sensation, as the breathy elegance of Taylor’s voice lightly wails up and down. “Untitled/Dark Day” closes out the album with an acoustic strummed rhythm emerging from the fog to serve as the backdrop to the tastefully double and triple tracked vocal melodies. The wall of sound whirls and whips in various degrees of intensity as the music progresses ‘til its closing moments.

Multiple listens and increased familiarity strengthen the overall experience of the album as the mysterious becomes recognizable. Sentimental Education may not be an official “debut” record, but it makes a powerful statement like one. Stomacher have spent a fairly long time crafting this record, and with the final product it shows time well spent. The album’s writing sessions proved to be so fruitful that the band will be self releasing an EP, Pick Up The Phone, containing b-sides from the effort on October 2nd. With each album since the first from In Reverent Fear, the band has forged ahead and adapted its sound to encompass further established talent, grace, and intelligence. Stomacher has a bright future ahead of them, even if it is spent in the shadows.

Peasant Song - Stomacher

Any Joan A Lady - Stomacher