Argentine
In Other Fictions
(Self-Released)
During the making of In Other Fictions, Argentine was largely the work of two people. As often happens when a piece of music is evolving and being recorded, other members were soon pulled into the mix to add their elements and as of now the group stands as a five-piece. Together, the group plays music that has things in common with groups like Bedhead and Yo La Tengo, with a sound that swerves between slow core and shimmering indie rock.
On most tracks, it's the unique and sometimes downright fragile-sounding vocals of Ian Carpenter that help to thread things together. The opener of "The World Gets Younger" opens with world-weary instrumention as languid guitars and bass plod along behind the vocals of Carpenter before the track darn near rocks out at the end. "Fresh Inventions" works in similar ways, with muted instrumentation coasting along behind Carpenter before the Hammond organ squeals and the track locks into a strummy lockstep that rocks inwardly instead of out.
Although most of the tracks on the release run well over five minutes, the group is at their strongest musically when they tighten things up a bit. Both "Ender/Beginner" and "Westerly" bring the cello into the mix a bit louder and take on a bit more of a pop structure, but Carpenters somewhat wavering vocals sound their best over the mid-tempo tracks. The latter has a flair of airy alt country that puts a bit of bounce in the step. As a whole, the self-released CD is very nicely recorded and written, and while it lags a bit in a couple places, it's a very accomplished debut.
Rating: 7
