Writer reveals love of Love of Diagrams

By Joe Pelone
Collegian Editor
January 31, 2007

Australia simply does not get enough credit for its musical contributions. Sure, people love the sweet, soulful call of the didgeridoo (or so I like to believe), but, that instrument aside, few bands from that country/continent have blown up here in the States. Hopefully, such non-sentiments will be reneged once recent Matador signees, Love of Diagrams, release their full-length, Mosaic, in April. For now, though, fans of post-punk can dig the band’s self-titled EP. Boasting two tracks from the upcoming LP, a live cut and an EP exclusive, Love of Diagrams is a solid musical teaser.

Love of Diagrams’ opener, “Pace or the Patience,” kicks off with an angular yet bouncy bass line, which will be sure to inspire listeners to engage in some classily awkward No Wave dancing. Bassist Antonia Sellbach and guitarist Luke Horton trade off vocals, inflecting the track with a British post-punk vibe (which, given that they’re Australian and making music after 1977, I guess they kind of are). At turns ambient and danceable, “Pace or the Patience” is a solid EP opener. The track recalls the minimalist rock of Wire’s Pink Flag and the dour tone of Joy Division’s Closer.

The next, more ethereal track, “The Pyramid,” keeps things going, albeit with a bit more haze and a bit less pep. Sellbach’s flat-in-a-good-way vocals glide over Horton’s guitar work. The punk-ish female vocals make the band sound like a more otherwordly version of Sleater-Kinney, which is cool. Drugged out yet concise, “The Pyramid” will be sure to stand out with “Pace or the Patience” on Mosaic. Then again, maybe not. The future is unwritten, man. Also, I haven’t heard the album yet.

“Cool,” the third song, is a live recording, but one probably wouldn’t have noticed without looking at the album information. The quality here is high enough, and the quality on the rest of the EP grainy enough in a hip, indie sort of way, that the CD flows consistently throughout its 13-and-a-half running time. The sludge-like drone of “Cool,” coupled with Sellbach’s vocal pseudo-aerobics, makes for beautiful listening.

The final cut on this eponymous release, “No Way Out,” was previously available on the 2004 EP We Got Communication, but chances are that most of the Yanks here don’t have that one, so it sounds new enough. It’s the same as the other songs – dark-ish post-punk that’s too peppy to be gloomy. It’s good, but by this point a bit too repetitive.

Overall, Love of Diagrams show promise. Their self-titled Matador debut is long enough to accurately portray the band’s style, but short enough to leave the listener longing for more. While the sound here may be a bit too indistinguishable to some, it will certainly appeal to fans of any post-punk masterpiece recorded between 1977 and 1981. Word on the Internet is that the new Bloc Party album blows. Hopefully, Mosaic will make Love of Diagrams the hippest post-punk band on the international block.

pelonej1@lasalle.edu