Uneven Structure -- Paragon

5/10

Writing this review bums me out. Uneven Structure simply used it all up on their debut. Februus is a perfect album. I don't know how long it was dwelling it their heads before they put it to record. In the years since they've recorded Februus, it seems like they've both been unsure of where to head next and where they've even been. 2019's Paragon is a muddy mess. It totally dispels the long form style of creation the band displayed to perfection on Februus, quite well on 8, and okay on La Partition, for songs that feel at once hermetically sealed off from one another, and yet homogenous. This band made its bones in incredible dynamics, with beautiful ambient passages giving way to brain-smashingly heavy grooves, and soaring, mystical vocals that tied the whole thing together. Now, the ambient passages bore, the grooves rarely set themselves apart, and the vocals sound like mud, with little a memorable melody or moment. What happened? It's time to change whatever the method has been, find a great producer who wants to work with them, and get back into the studio so that they can wash the memory of this out of their fans' ears.

Are there moments here that work? A handful, and they're stellar. They remind of just how spectacular this band can be--and only serve to make the rest of the record that much more of a disappointment.


2019 Long Branch Records
1. Magician 03:38
2. Hero 04:42
3. Innocent 05:39
4. Caregiver 01:52
5. Outlaw 06:15
6. Explorer 01:55
7. Creator 05:43
8. Ruler 05:19
9. Jester 04:49
10. Sage 01:01
11. Lover 05:11
12. Everyman 05:16