Beak, Anatomy of Habit, Vukari
Price: $8
You’re supposed to mellow out as you grow grayer and life
beats you into submission, but the members of Chicago instrumental
postrock institution the Timeout Drawer formed a metal band called Beak instead. They crank up the volume and with it the rage in their sound, largely by adding vocals. Beak’s new Let Time Begin
(Someoddpilot) is still heavy postrock in many respects—the meandering
interludes, the omnipresent moodiness, the rapid picking that
foreshadows a monstrous crescendo—but when guitarist-vocalist Jon
Slusher bellows like he’s struggling to expel the bile that’s eating the
pit of his stomach, the tracks become crushing. In one of the defining
flourishes on Let Time Begin, “Over the Shelter, the Morning
Breaks” (a more post-anything title, there is not) acts as a
two-minute-plus instrumental intro to album closer “Fiery They Rose,”
showcasing Beak’s proficiency at writing bristling postrock as well as
their newly acquired skill at letting it off its leash. —Kevin Warwick
2100 W. Belmont Ave.
773-281-4444
