Review: Big Business – Mind the Drift
Big Business – Mind the Gap (2009) [Hydra Head] // Grade: B-
I really like Big Business and had some pretty high expectations for their new album, especially when in the past 12 or so months we’ve seen fellow high profile sludgesters, Mastodon, Torche, Harvey Milk & Kylesa really take the leap in their sound and raise the bar. While Mind the Drift delivers, but only so as a typical Big Business album… Maybe it’s my fault for expecting the atypical, but that’s where I’m at.
Too much of Mind the Drift feels like a band taking 1 step forwad and 2 steps back. Just when it feels like the band is on the verge of exploring some new and interesting dimension, things shut down and go back to default. I’ve never gotten the sense that Big Business are the sort of band who aren’t interested in pushing and evolving their sound. Jared Warren & Coady Willis are one half of the Melvins current incarnation and besides being the Melvins being an obvious influence, it’d stand to reason that the Melvins willingness to push boundaries has to have rubbed off on Big Business. Mind the Drift does see them open up enough to introduce the use of keyboards and add a guitarist to the band… And while both of which go a ways in bringing an added dimension to Big Business’ sound, in the end they only feel like window dressing in a push to redecorate Here Come the Waterworks. It’s frustrating that every interesting corner is usually abandoned in favor of a solid overpowering riff or bass groove, but those sludgy moments are so goddamn good that they’re also oddly fulfilling, like ruining your dinner as a kid with a bounty of delicious candy. I can’t fault Big Business for being so damn good at what they do and sticking to what works… but I can for hinting at an off-road excursion but being too cautious to take the car off track.
May 12th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
I was so excited to get this record and like the other one (here comes the water works) thought it would be a grower. I thought that seeing as I totally adored the the last one this wouldnt take any time at all to get into. After 10 or more rinses I am still waiting for the bite. I think they took ‘another perfect day in the south pacific’ and made it the template for the entire album, which is cool, but I do feel it is lacking in something…but maybe it is another total grower and it will take just as long as the old one (one which I would listen to almost on repeat for weeks on end).
Another new release recently is Goblin Cocks ‘come with me if you want to live’ which is equally if not more stunning as their first record. Highly recomended.
May 13th, 2009 at 5:58 am
First of all, Torche and Mastodon are in no way on the same level as Big Business. I mean come on, Mastodon is on one of those guitar hero type video games…
Yeah, I was underwhelmed with the LP, but considering the amount of touring BB has done with and without the Melvins, I’m not all that surprised. Dudes are gettin’ old.
May 13th, 2009 at 10:38 am
They’re totally on the same level.. well maybe not anymore, not after “Crack the Skye” but when I think of the modern Stoner, Doom, Sludge whatever the fuck you want to call it Metal scene, the bands who brought it the foreground (not counting the more experimental/atmospheric side of shit like Sunn O)))) are High on Fire, Mastodon, Torche, Kylesa, Baroness, Big Business & the renewed interest in the Melvins. While even at the beginning they were two totally different bands, Big Business probably has more in common with Torche than Mastodon, they’re still mining the same soundscape in my opinion so think it’s totally fair to compare BB to Mastodon is saying that Mastodon have taken it to some guitar hero sci-fi realm within the “sound” while Big Business are still doing the same ol’ more or less..