Album Review: Frameworks - 'Loom'

26 May 2014 | 1:13 am | Staff Writer
Originally Appeared In

A highly informed record that proves how important your roots actually are.

Post hardcore can (and is guaranteed to be by those self-appointed genre enthusiast types) be interpreted in a multitude of ways. The term could be used in reference to the new wave of melodically inspired post hardcore, the torch of which is carried by beloved bands like La Dispute, Pianos Become The Teeth and Touché Amoré. For the sentimental listeners in the crowd, however, its use might be applied in the more familiar territory of late 90s and early 00’s acts such as Glassjaw, Fugazi and At The Drive In. For Frameworks, what’s important is not which bands belong to what genre, but the very fact that all of them, regardless of when or how they entered the scene, must be drawn from to build the foundations of a really solid post-hardcore record in 2014. It is for this reason that 'Loom' is such an accomplishment.

The leading track, ‘Disquiet,’ is 23 seconds of considerable tranquility, a choice that is both ironic and precautionary; a meditation in joviality, before the prophecy of its title comes true on ‘Loom’. Immediately, the harsh instrumentals create an atmosphere of unrest and anxiousness that defines the character of this record.

The hefty percussion that lines the track is stagnant and forceful, competing against the emo-influenced, woody guitar chords (which appear later on ‘True Wealth’) that sit underneath all of the noise. On ‘Mutual Collision’ the lead vocalist, assisted by the echoes of deeper sounding cries, shrieks through a husk in his voice. On tracks like this one, and the later gem, ‘Splinters’ the vocals are delivered through an onslaught of throaty, violent screams that consistently follow a pattern of increasing hysteria that may seem erratic, but follows an invisible instrumental rhythm and a strong melody, set by the drum beat and the rolling guitar chords, underneath it.

Frameworks Loom is equal parts serenity and chaos. Delicately tacked onto the end of tracks like ‘True Wealth’ and ‘Splinters’ is a studied transition from one state to another, like a slow exhale of fresh air out of the lungs, after holding your breath. Each track on Loom is designed to build in intensity and tension, and then to subside, looming over the listener with an overbearing presence made from guttural guitar chords, unrelenting, shrieking vocals and a hefty percussion ensemble, before shriveling into a melodically inclined submission.

Both ‘Rosie’ and the final track ‘Agreeable Thoughts’ contradict the sense of unremitting frenzy that characterises most of Loom. On the more passive, melancholic tracks on the record, Frameworks have worked hard at generating a mounting sense of ambiance and theatre, textured by twinkly guitar chords and a softer vocal rasp.

On ‘Rosie’ in particular, the kind of unchecked anguish is reminiscent of more recent post-hardcore infused emo material. As if to purposefully juxtapose it, the following track, ‘Bright and New’ and ‘Familiar Haze’ are two of the most merciless tracks on the record, evocative of earlier post hardcore influences. This unkempt ferocity reveals the hand that producer Jack Shirly (Deafheaven’s Sunbather) had in guiding Loom and indeed, in influencing Framework’s awareness.

Some might claim that Frameworks lack innovation; a clichéd criticism too easy to depend on in music writing. Contrary to this, it’s the attentive way in which they consider who has come before them, in post hardcore and in punk more generally, that allows them to achieve something of magnitude on Loom.

1.Disquiet

2.Loom 

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3.Mutual Collision 

4.True Wealth

5.Splinters

6.Rosie

7.Bright and New 

8.Affordance 

9.Familiar Haze

10.Autonomy

11.Agreeable Thoughts