a faulty chromosome as an ex-anorexic's six sicks exit, ... by: Ed Butler Thu:01-May-08 Label: Independent Year: 2008 WB rating 56 out of 100

Beach House’s Devotion has been the source of no small measure of consternation and discord around the WB offices of late, for numerous reasons; the chick can/can’t sing, the music is boring/languid/inspired/insipid/somnambulant, the MIDI drums are clunky/appropriate, and so on. But mostly the debate has revolved around reverb; that little switch/pedal/laptop effect that creates the sensation that the song in question was recorded in a bath in an empty pool in an abandoned concert hall.

At the very least, reverb is a signifier that any critical analysis is free to toss about the word ‘shoegazers’ with happy abandon, remedying any concern about categorization and pigeonholing. However, while shoegaze labels do rest fairly comfortably with Texan trio a faulty chromosome, it fails to do justice to their unique brand of vibrato garage rock. Because there are so many conflicting influences on the oddly titled as an ex-anorexic’s six sicks exit,… , despite positively reeking of cliché, the recording tends to defy easy classification.

Before the disc even gets a spin, the cover art itself betrays a great deal (not least the band’s clear aversion to upper case letters), a bizarre collection of fluorescence, psychedelia, random scribbles and truly bizarre (read: disturbing) cartoons. Not Loveless, in other words. And it is at this point that the morbid tone of as an ex-anorexic’s six sicks exit,… becomes clear. A second glance at the track listing, which was cursory at first, reveals track titles like ‘Bad Thing’, ‘The Loneliness of the Short-Distance Walker’, ‘Anomie’s the Enemy’ and ‘I’ll Stop Swimming When I Drown’. A second glance at the lyric sheet also reveals further distress and morbidity. “Pensiveness is all we have to offer”, on ‘I’ll Stop Swimming When I Drown’ offering an insight into the overriding theme of the record.

as an ex-anorexic’s six sicks exit,… is replete with oddities. And the oddities tend to inveigle the listener into ignoring what are, buried underneath mountains of vibrating noise, decent pop songs. The aforementioned ‘Pleasures of the Flesh’, the band’s lead single, potters along with a soothing melody and gentle electronic beeping, but the vocals-in-the-bath, and bursts of thrashy/vibrato guitars obscure the prettiness in what is unnecessary instrumentation, robbing the song of its poignancy. Much the same occurs on ‘Anomie’s the Enemy’ and ‘What?’

Repeatedly, it is easy to tune out, lose interest, before a moment of clarity appears, drawing attention back. But then nothing manages to hold the attention. Like a Michael Bay movie which can’t manage to reconcile the use of copious special effects in order to further the story, a faulty chromosome seem to feel that the array of pedals, knobs, bells and whistles at their disposal MUST be used at all costs, detracting from what appear to be, well below the surface, simple, emotional tales of sadness and loss.

a faulty chromosome, like children in a room full of new toys, can’t seem to keep focus on what they’re actually there for long enough to create the emotive piece of simple rock they seem destined to produce. Hopefully all the reverb has shaken out their more needlessly creative tendencies and future records will focus on the undeniable strength of their songwriting.