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STATS, Crowned: Doing the Math

When last they were heard from, the all-caps Brooklyn math/noise rock trio STATS had just issued a three-song sampler EP of their heady wares. Some things, it seems, haven’t changed at all, as the instrumental unit deliver three new cuts in the form of the Crowned EP on The Path Less Traveled Records. The songs, which total just under 21 minutes, are a logical extension of the prior material, their angularity and linear structures walking a fine line between technical prowess and song flow, and presented with cleaner production and full jewel case artwork, Crowned gives an overall aura of a tighter, more established unit.

It’s a short release, and one wonders if STATS aren’t just going to adopt the EP as their formal modus operandi, realizing that a full-length of this kind of tech material would be asking a lot of their audience. Robert Fripp once said of his soundscapes that the average listener could only take about 20 minutes of it at a time, then they needed a break, and if we apply the same to STATS, then Crowned is right on target. Opener “Guthy Renker” twists ably and offers flashes of noise rock groove, weighted by the bass of Tony Gedrich, who also adds a piercing noise flourish near the 1:50 mark. I’d be lying if I said it was pleasant to the ear, but it serves its purpose. Guitarist Joe Petrucelli doesn’t shred or try to fill the space vocals might otherwise occupy with lead lines, instead setting and keeping the course of sub-noodling scale work, drummer Hank Shteamer deftly maintaining pace in purposefully awkward time signatures.

“From Before” might be just that – older material – as it has a less directly jagged feel. That’s not to say the song doesn’t work either in general or specifically between “Guthy Renker” and closer “Wareheim,” because it does, just that while it has the fleet-fingered emanations STATS leads you to expect from them, the groove is thicker, more prevalent, and the focus seems less on spinning from one part to the next. If there’s a dynamic build anywhere on Crowned, it’s on “From Before” after four minutes in, when Gedrich’s bass rings out, Shteamer cuts the drums and Petrucelli sets up the song’s resumption on his own. Seems like a small change, but it’s just about in the middle of the EP, and right at the moment where one might, in listening, get lost in the otherwise overarching technicality of the music. There’s a balance between the ability to play and the knowledge of what to play – the songwriting side – that STATS do well to keep in mind.

Whether or not it was named in honor of Eric Wareheim of the comedy duo Tim & Eric, I don’t know, but Crowned’s finale is shorter, tighter and more rhythmically complex than either of the two cuts before it. Gedrich and Shteamer deliver their finest performances early on, with impressive runs and quick snare work (respectively), the latter of which could stand to be higher in the mix, while Petrucelli offsets the low end by moving up the fretboard. STATS are beginning to come together more as a band of players, beginning to really develop a playing chemistry between the three members, and that’s palpable throughout Crowned. I’d be interested to hear them play up some of the dynamism beginning to rear its head on “From Before” and put it back to back with a nod-worthy breakdown like that beginning 3:42 into “Wareheim,” but it’s clear STATS are taking the project of their creative development seriously. This is almost as essential to their ultimate success as the music itself, which, while not necessarily geared toward doom heads or mystics of the wandering riff, has an appeal beyond the nerdiness inherent in the technically-centered. It might be time for STATS to hit the road, as that’s definitely where the next-level growth they need is going to come from: getting out and playing as much as possible.

STATS on MySpace

The Path Less Traveled Records

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One Response to “STATS, Crowned: Doing the Math”

  1. waino says:

    sick band

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