For a new band that ventures out to do music, the
enthusiasm more often than not is fueled by the profound
inspiration from the one act they love the most. At times, this
inspiration results in an over-zealous imitation of the inspiring
band. This is exactly the case with the debut effort In The
Event Of Tomorrow from Bloomington, Indiana’s The Post.
On the very first encounter, Tomorrow is like
listening to CD two of the double disc of OK Computer that
Radiohead decided not to release. Everything about this record
behaves and breathes like OK Computer; even the sleeve
artwork on the record has cryptic texts like “In The Future: our
systems will surely fail” and “Please, let us sleep” or credits
that read “Expertly recorded by…” or “Polaroids dangerously
shot by…” that are typically found in the booklet of a
Radiohead album.
Tomorrow is a brilliant debut record; but too
brilliantly like Radiohead. The vocals are all echoey and doped
like that of Thom Yorke, and the singing is deceptively
indiscernible, with Yorke’s signature whining and hysterical
repetition of words done in almost replicate fashion. And, there
are words — relating the weirdest entities to the weirdest
situations — like “Your body’s broken / The spider melts it down”
(on “A Place To Sit”) that makes the whole Radiohead-like
experience satisfyingly complete.
But, the thing that is perplexing about The Post’s
Radiohead-imitating tendency is that Tomorrow is a genuinely
good record, to which this band surely deserves credit and makes
one think the imitation is just a weak spot in the group’s manner
of creative expression.
With further listening, the true artistry of this
band surfaces, and The Post appears to be a completely different
outfit than just another Radiohead clone. The group’s sound is a
distinctive mix of new wave and garage, which is fused with
psychedelic dissonance and melodiousness. This interesting
combination results in an innovative style, and when mixed with the
Radiohead ambition is even more appealing.
The album’s great numbers like “Where Are The
Wolves,” “Shattered At The Mouthpiece,” and the amazing closer
“Polar” lose their edge a bit, but other great cuts like “Helping
Hands,” “Different Engine,” and “Until We Bring,” show a degree of
originality and provide reassurance to the listener of this act’s
natural style, something that they should stick to more often.
There is absolutely no doubt that The Post is a group
of talented musicians. But having said so, the reverence for their
heroes is overweighing their own creativity. Even the biggest bands
seek inspiration from their influences, but they use this
inspiration to fuel originality. If only these guys could
concentrate on what they are able to offer, and not on what they
feel would sell, this record would’ve been an even better, more
authentic effort.
