On a Lake of Dead Trees

Clangorous post-punk emo metal — a mouthful of a phrase but it's an accurate description of Traindodge, who in a time where any number of bands worked with some of those elements or others came up with a combination that made On a Lake of Dead Trees an enjoyable release, both in its original form and in the re-release with two extra songs. Chugging, grungy backgrounds reflect a youth raised on early-'90s alt-radio, but there's discordance learned from Sonic Youth records that spikes the punch in a good way, just enough. There's a resulting tension between complete intensity and a more general audience-friendly rock & roll that turns out pretty nicely as a result. A song like "Flight of the Serpent" can call to mind the epic build of Drive Like Jehu, say, but there's much less chaos and screaming in the vocals — and while that arguably can be missed by one listener, another might appreciate the smoother blend while appreciating the song's solid sprawl. Elsewhere "The Visit" has a nice drop-out echo-away moment of slowly grinding contemplation in the middle, an enjoyable touch, while "Curtain Call" aims for a downright nice feel on the chorus — in all it's a good recombination of obvious sources, but they are enthusiastic and sound fine, epic on a low-key scale.