Coptic Light deftly fuses
improvisation to
post-rock on this self-titled release for
No Quarter. Drummer
Kevin Shea (ex-
Storm & Stress), guitarist
Jon Fine (
Bitch Magnet,
Don Caballero), and bassist
Jeff Winterberg (
Antioch Arrow) clearly have
improvisation in mind with these three lengthy pieces. But they're intuitive about it, letting soupy bass lines stretch over the insistent, tense drumming so that
Coptic Light sounds not like static and chaos (i.e.
Hella) but the studied feel of '90s
post-rock.
Post-rock, that is, with well-timed stabs of volatility. (
Shea in particular can drive up your heart rate with just a few flurries of cymbal.) The set is strong throughout, always with a muscular feel but able to suggest introspection, too.
"Mix the Races" alternates climaxes with stretches of drift until
Fine's garbled guitar signature diminishes over the descending two-note bass line.
"Horse" is moodier, an ever-growing shadow. But after
Coptic Light's softer middle,
"Eat It High School" hits hard with a manically compressed intro that culminates in some rewarding
rock windmills. The track's second half is the comedown, and its gentle descent is streaked with grit like sunsets over the city. ~ Johnny Loftus
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