Blank Realm – Go Easy

Brisbane’s Blank Realm have evolved from a psych-jam outfit into something more controlled, but the elements of that beginning remain evident on Go Easy. From the opener Acting Strange – which coats a Joy Division-esque three-chord progression in a miasma of noise and echoing keyboard effects – the quartet rarely relinquish their dependency upon distortion, reverb and delay. As a result, Go Easy does risk descending into sonic monotony at times.
 
Blank Realm do, however, vary the layers of noise to impressive effect (think Jesus and Mary Chain circa Psychocandy) on tracks like Pendulum Swing. Most significantly, a sense of dynamic change is provided by the LP’s shifts of mood. The edgy frustration with which Acting Strange begins soon gives way to slower, melodic realms on the fractured psychedelia of Cleaning Up My Mess and Working on Love. The dirge roots may remain, but there’s subtlety buried beneath the distortion. [Sam Wiseman]