While some well established instrumental rock acts appear to be content to tread water lately, it is rather refreshing to discover some unknown bands creating high quality music. Unsigned Swedish act, pg.lost, is one of them. Ever since I spent some time with the band's 2005 demo, I have been eager to hear more from this relatively unknown quartet. On its debut EP, Yes I Am, pg.lost has shown the proper growth from its first outing and has produced some of the finest instrumental tunes released so far this year.
Not only is this one of the strongest post-rock releases I have experienced in a while, but opening track, “Yes I Am,” is one of the most beautiful melodic rock tunes to grace my ears in quite some time. After a dark, Mono-esque opening, the track jolts to life with some distorted guitar and drum hits, before fading into a mellow, delay-drenched melody with some impressive guitar-bass-drum interplay, which is not common in many up-and-comers. After bringing back the guitar distortion, the track goes limp. And maybe that’s all we get, a one-trick pony. Not so fast, says pg.lost, who brings back the magic with a majestic, distortion fueled ending that rounds out what is just shy a perfect track.
It would be damned near impossible to keep the rest of the CD as strong as the opening cut, but pg.lost do a pretty good job of maintaining the listener’s attention. “Kardusen” and “Fartyget” start with some melodic bass arpeggios similar to Come On Die Young-era Mogwai, with the louder passages summoning a deeper, more interesting Red Sparowes vibe. The final tracks on the record show a mellower side to the group’s sound, incorporating some keyboard melodies and a GY!BE flavored sample. Most of the songs check out at around the 6:30 mark, making the songs just epic enough without getting boring or too repetitive.
It’s definitely encouraging to experience a new band with a strong sense of songwriting and talent that pg.lost have exhibited on Yes I Am. The group should undoubtedly be mentioned with other young acts like This Will Destroy You and Caspian as heirs to the EitS/Mono throne in the instrumental rock kingdom. Let’s hope a label snatches these Swedes up soon and forces a full length out of them. My top 5 of the year list is waiting...
-Nick Brandt