I was pretty excited to sink my teeth into some new Wheat. I was attracted to their 2003 major label debut "Per Second, Per Second, Per Second... Every Second" after hearing the semi-hit single, "I Met A Girl", and the rest of the disc really grew on me. But after hearing their new one, "White Ink, Black Ink”, I may have to re-evaluate my fondness for this indie rock band.
"White Ink, Black Ink” was a real challenge for me to get through, from the electronica beats in the lead-off track to the dissonant piano on the album's closer, "Baby In My Way". While there are some moments of genius, I generally find the bulk of the music to be inaccessible. True to indie rock, Wheat thrives on being different, but in 2003 kept the experimentation grounded with solid hooks; on this one, I am struggling to find more than one song that I am in a hurry to hear again.
I would liken Wheat to a collision between Wilco and Radiohead, partly because of Scott Levesque's vocals. The music is purposely chaotic, which can be fresh and exciting here and there, but for an entire album it gets old fast. Sad to say, but I think "White Ink, Black Ink” ranks as one of my biggest let downs of the year. For those of you who dig exploratory pop rock and still want to check out the record, I'd point your ears to "Change Is", "Living 2 Die vs. Dying 2 Live", and "Music Is Drugs".
iPOD-worthy: 2
Wheat on MySpace. Official site.
Check out the video for "Change Is":
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