May 13th, 2008
"Pangaea" by Power Douglas
Because TV On The Radio's Tunde Adebimpe serves as a guest vocalist, Power Douglas' debut, Pentecostal Fangbread, will inevitably be compared to Adebimpe's band. Which isn't particularly accurate: Power Douglas combines frontman Furor Thin, whose style is closer to spoken-word than rap, with out-rock that isn't shy about throwing sonics against the refrigerator door just to see what sticks. Pentecostal Fangbread is messy, often in an appealing way. Brief (nine tracks, 36 minutes) but expansive, it sounds like a collection of barely cleaned-up demos that nicely capture a handful of moods, primarily being stoned while listening to a bustling city go about its business. "Rvrsr" moves along on an onrushing beat, foghorn-like vocals, and lazy electric-keyboard droplets; "Oblideration Of King Alfred" marries Thin's declamatory vocal percussion and slow-fritzing synths. Even when Adebimpe provides an honest-to-goodness chorus for the closing "Pangaea," the spook-house organ, fuzzy bass, and blistering drums enveloping him sound like they're breaking into static—and guessing when it will happen is part of the appeal.
A.V. Club Rating: B-
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