June Of 44 - Engine Takes To Water (Album Review)

 

June Of 44 - Engine Takes To Water

(1995)


My copy: 2020 remastered reissue on glacial blue vinyl by Quarterstick Records.


June Of 44’s debut album took the groundwork sewn by Slint and dialed up the complexity with winding labyrinths of competing guitars. The rhythm sections are generally more subdued, similar to Slint, but the drums do wonders at thrusting the band into post-hardcore as needed. Recorded by James Murphy in NYC, the album has a distinctly anxious tone that helped further develop several styles. 

 “Have A Safe Trip, Dear” starts out quietly, with the guitar slowly trickling through harmonic melodies until the spoken word vocals enter. Though the core is off-kilter melodic guitar, the band takes the track into distorted plunges with heavy drums. The track strips itself down more than once, first leading into a furious passage with shouting and again to reset into the cool early section. More enthusiastic riffing is heard on “June Miller” though there are hints of dissonance and an Albini-esque coating to the production. The vocals are largely obscured, but the hummed melodies are smooth and usually satisfying. 

“Pale Horse Sailor” is the best spoken word/sound experiment on the record, building up tension with samples of public transit amidst finicky guitar. The bass rises and stretches itself out loudly, only to ominously vanish as the song startlingly reboots itself. The bass then lingers beneath shouted vocals before the whole thing fades away to the sample. “Mindel” is the most fit for an Albini band, with hard panned, jagged guitars and frantic drumming. The time signature changes relentlessly before the song ends abruptly. Bright melodic tinkering appears from “I Get My Kicks For You” which impressively erodes into a foreboding dark ambient outro with whirling amp feedback and sampled radio transmissions. 

“Mooch” and “Take It With A Grain Of Salt” are both relatively by-the-books combinations of post-hardcore and the moodier side of Slint’s noodling. The most impressive draw is the panned dueling of guitars, with each channeling rarely mirroring the other. The album closes with the (comparatively) quaint “Sink Is Busted,” which develops a separate personality for being the only track with gentle singing on it. 

A fine way to tackle the weirder, more elaborate side of early 90s underground music, June Of 44 found themselves a niche in which to thrive. Though their take is more untethered and angular, it is still emotive and experimental. At times, the need to complicate the melodies can be a bit obnoxious, but Engine Takes To Water is a really great debut from a consistent band.

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