Decoder Ring - They Blind the Stars, And the Wild Team

22 August 2009 by Max Easton

Over the last seven years, Decoder Ring have been a steadfast presence on Sydney’s alternative rock scene, with shows never failing to drag in the crowds and albums sliding off shelves faster than they can be arranged. It’s no surprise then, that a four year hiatus between albums left more than a few Decoder Ring fans a little anxious. With former lead vocalist Lenka Kripac pursuing a solo career in Los Angeles and barely a murmur heard aside from the odd short film soundtrack from the band, people were starting to hear the words ‘break-up’ ring around the paranoia sector of their brains. So when a new album was announced for 2009, the anticipation and eagerness to hear it was completely understandable. The question is was it worth the wait? And what did four years do to Decoder Ring?

From the moment soaring electronic moans tear across a distorted guitar line in the album’s opening track ‘Beat the Twilight,’ it’s clear that nothing has changed. And with three albums prior to this one capturing the awe of almost anyone who put pen to paper to review them, this is most certainly not a bad thing. The atmosphere Decoder Ring is so well known for building within the tracks is more present than ever; with slow, staggered rises interrupted by clashing percussion, layered, repetitive mid-sections and startling crescendo’s, Decoder Ring play as though they never left the studio after 2002’s self-titled debut.

However, once you make your way through the ethereal instrumental album opener, make your way through the second instrumental (enjoying the anticipation of Lenka’s first vocal,) continue through seven more before changing to the bonus CD and wading through another four instrumentals, a realisation will no doubt come to you. This album doesn’t feature a single spoken word. The challenge for Decoder Ring, then, is to craft a series of songs that can create the journeys they’ve perfected on albums past with the aid of Lenka Kripac’s haunting vocals with all manner of effects, keys, guitars and drums. Once the expectation wears off, it can be said with full confidence that Decoder Ring have met that challenge, but there’s always a little niggle that is wishing there were some breathy declarations of love swimming around amongst the entangled sonic chaos.

The effect of taking away the vocals is almost the exact opposite effect that saw initially instrumental bands like Broken Social Scene step into a new league with their adoption of the very same. Music without words is often hard to place anywhere outside of background music, or in the case of this album, the background music to an upbeat high. Of course, there are people out there who can ride a track without a story as a purely aural experience, but at times it just seems like a struggle to enjoy without the aid of another stimulus.

‘They Blind the Stars, And the Wild Team’ is a frolicking jumble of intensely flavoured sonic landscapes, the exact brand of music that you expect from Decoder Ring. Musically, it’s leagues ahead of what the band achieved on ‘Fractions,’ and sits amongst the quality that their first two albums produced. It’s completely unfair to judge it on the basis of it being purely instrumental, but on comparison to the band’s previous works, it’s something that’s so prevalent as to be impossible to ignore. However, anyone with a functioning set of ears is bound to enjoy this in some way or form. If you’re familiar with Decoder Ring at all this is an album that you should most definitely have in your collection. Decoder Ring’s latest effort is amongst their finest outings and an extremely fine example of the quality of music coming out of Australia today.

‘They Blind the Stars, And the Wild Team’ is out now through Inertia Recordings.

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