Riddles

As both a comedian and a musician, Ed Schrader has been one of the most visible members of Baltimore's Wham City collective since its inception. He initially performed as a solo artist, accompanying himself on just a floor tom, before Devlin Rice joined him on bass, forming Ed Schrader's Music Beat. The duo's songs have typically alternated between frantic garage-punk ragers and slower, more spacious numbers distinguished by Schrader's sensuous, Bowie-inspired crooning. They've always crafted a big sound out of a limited palette, but on their third album, the Music Beat dispel any notions of being typecast as a reductionist garage punk act. For a group whose name displays an allegiance to the simpler early era of rock & roll, Riddles sounds startlingly futuristic and complex. This is partially due to the presence of fellow Wham City all-star Dan Deacon, who produced, co-wrote, arranged, and played on the album. He doesn't sing on it, but much of it is in the spirit of the pop albums he's released from Bromst onward, and his presence is unmistakable. The arrangements are lush yet electrified, with layers of saxophone, violin, and Nancarrow-esque player piano along with multiple drummers, generally working at a brisk, caffeinated tempo. Plenty of the songs could easily work in the duo's minimalist setup, but here they're bolstered by studio trickery such as glitching effects on the vocals, and some of them stretch out to five minutes rather than just a minute or two, as their earlier songs did. The album's title track is easily the most anthemic song Schrader's written so far, sprinting down the runway before taking off and soaring. "Rust" is a caustic noise-punk stomper in line with Schrader's earlier sound, and even seems like a cousin of longtime live staple "Rats," but even when he's screaming his brains out, his voice has grown more powerful and controlled. This is even more apparent on dramatic ballads like "Wave to the Water" and "Tom." Like frequent tourmates Future Islands, it can be hard to tell how seriously to take Schrader on first exposure, but it soon becomes apparent that he's a genuine artist, and it's hard to not be won over by his spirit, drive, and creativity. Riddles is easily his grandest work yet. ~ Paul Simpson