Vancouver-based band Bend Sinister is a four-man quartet, and over the last 13 years, the group has honed in a refreshingly progressive rock sound unheard in current rock music. Blending equal parts prog, blues and hard rock, the group has made a name for themselves in Canada, and their third full-length album, Animals, will hopefully bring them the recognition they deserve.
Animals has one of the riskiest album openings in recent music memory. “Best of You,” an eight-and-a-half minute opus of prog rock and power balladry, sets the band off on the right foot. While the length may seem daunting, the change in musical pacing throughout the song is on point, ushering the listener through the doors to the menagerie of sounds in the album.
“Fancy Pants” and “I Got Love,” the following two tracks, are reminiscent of different eras of late sixties and early seventies rock. The light, airy lyrics and the staccato piano and horns of “Fancy Pants” are reminiscent of Elton John. It transitions surprisingly well into the southern blues rock-focused “I Got Love.”
Animals’ mid-album tracks are the highlight of this tour through rock’s greatest experimental genres. “Thunder and Lightning” throws back to late ’70s hard rock, with blistering riffs and guitar solos, while “Teacher” starts off slow with synthesized bliss, and quickly shifts to a high-octane ride through a hair metal-cum-prog rock track. “Seventeen” is classic blues, with a simplistic blues chord structure and soul-aching lyrics.
While Bend Sinister hits many high notes throughout the album—both literally and figuratively—some of the tracks fail to deliver the same way. “Better Things To Do” feels out of place between the blues and hard rock tracks. The power ballad attempts to jump through too many hoops at a time in honoring different sides of rock.
While the beginning starts out hot and fast, swapping out different rock filters to suit the band’s needs, the last two tracks of the album slow down the tempo, allowing for more of the raw musical talent to shine through the melodies. Animals’ final track, “It Will Never End” is deceptively soft and easy at the start, ending with a high-powered guitar solo finish, which perfectly captures the album’s contrasting of various styles of rock.
Bend Sinister’s execution on Animals is near perfect on the whole, and is a fantastic history lesson of the last 50 years of rock music.
Rating: A-
