Review Summary: Daughters is a record infused with maturity, but not with excitement.
Every once and a while, one comes across a band whose sound seems to be set up for failure and nothing else. However, this band clearly surpasses one's expectations and churns out an unexpectedly enjoyable release. Recently, Daughters proved that they were ready to join the league of said bands. With 2003's
Canada Songs, Daughters excelled at their craft with their inane, schizophrenic nature. Showing a disregard for taste and structure, their sound was above and beyond that of their contemporaries. Daughters furthered the sound established by their debut with
Hell Songs. Riddled with vanguard vocal stylings and intriguing song structures, Daughters's sophomore release perpetuated their well-established abrasiveness. Yet, it became clear with this release that Daughters were maturing and expanding their sound. Their sophomore effort touched upon many genres and was more focused than their debut. In time, Daughters's metamorphosis would be complete. Their eponymous album is the proof of their transformation.
Daughters builds itself off of the abrasiveness found within the riffs of
Canada Songs and the original forms of sonic slaughter secured within
Hell Songs. The apparent result of this combination is a far more refined release from the little Providence-based group. The potential Daughters acquired during the making of this release is tremendous; yet
Daughters is a regression in almost every other way. Poor songwriting riddles this album, and excitement is rare.
Case in point: “The Virgin” shows off some technical flair, but the track is monotonous and never climaxes; nor does it make full use of its components. Fugues of noise and angular dissonance are executed haphazardly on said opener and the tedious sixth track. The same applies to the noisy “Sweet Georgia Bloom”. Perpetuating intensity ensues, but has a rather measly end. And even when a climax is worthy, Daughters perpetuate boredom for far too long for said climax to meet its fullest potential (see: “The Unattractive Portable Head”). The glaring flaw of poor songwriting is the most palpable of drawbacks on this album, but its reach cannot affect other aspects of the album.
Technicality is one of
Daughters's strong points. Tremolo plucks run rampant, and when used effectively, the resulting angular dissonance adds substance and intensity to the album. Seen most clearly on “Our Queens (One Is Many, Many Is One”, said technicality is manifested within quaint time signatures and boisterous flurries of notes. Another one of
Daughters's successes is the eclecticism throughout. Granted, most of the album's sound is chaotic, alternating between sounds akin to mathcore and that of grind. Still, Daughters have fused their sound with electronic music, punk jazz, and vocal styles of the vanguard. “The Theater Goer”, one of the album's strongest tracks, dabbles in everything from noise to metal to hardcore in a coherent way. Daughters dabbles in a broad range of hardcore variants on “Our Queens (One Is Many, Many Is One”. The fourth and fifth tracks show Daughters's potential in all its discordant glory. It's a shame that all the potential that Daughters tithe is squandered by poor songwriting. With a bit more refinement
Daughters will be seen as the framework to Daughters's evolution. If the potential held within Daughters's eponymous album equates to their future, it's an evolution worth the wait.
