4 out of 5

Label: Kranky

Produced by: John Congleton

I know the vocalist-only link to 90 Day Men is tenuous, but when I first heard Disappears, I couldn’t help but hope for something slightly different than the Krautrocky drone electro stuff I got.  Subsequent spins gave me some more appreciation, but I was even having difficulty recognizing the group as something critics would dig, which they seemed to.  It just didn’t feel like it had too much depth to me.

I can hear the depth on Irreal.  I can hear the subtle tweaks ‘neath the urgent and organic beats, Brian Case chanting over a rhythm that’s halfway between danceable and menacing.  Certainly a big part of this is Congleton’s production, well suited to Disappears sparse yet layered sound, emphasizing – but keeping crisp – the low-end rumble while allowing the rough edges of an ill-timed guitar note or Case’s generally off-key voice icily echo across the track.  The difference between Irreal and earlier Disappears, though, is that, mostly, these feel like songs.  Songs with beginnings, vague riffs that creep in, tunes that build to something.  I/O and the title track are mesmerizing build-ups; ‘Another Thought’ is loud out of the gates but takes advantage of the propulsive drumming to wrestle the listener into submission.  It’s when things slip back into some aimlessness that the disc loses me, like the questionable filler of instrumental Oud – which sort of sounds like a stripped down version of a beat from another track – or the hazy Mist Rites.  But: maybe these tracks hold magic for the same people who raved about earlier efforts.

I’m happy with Irreal, either way; it’s fitful and changing enough to get into, but works hard to establish an overall dark and moody vibe that also works well for just letting it spin on repeat.  It feels measured and precise, for the most part, whereas earlier efforts felt more like experiments with sound and tone.  Its best measure of success, perhaps, is that I’ll be going back to listen to their older stuff to see if I suddenly “get it” now…