by Kris Handel (@khandel84)
Danger in Fives is the third full length from the adventurous and imaginative Kentucky art pop trio Wombo. The band have once again delivered an album that is worth all the time their audience is willing to give to it. Wombo’s past few records have had a simmering chaotic flow to them that would leave the listener unable to anticipate whatever was coming next, driven by the sharp guitar lines of Cameron Lowe and fluid rhythm section of Sydney Chadwick and Joel Taylor. Danger in Fives shares the same type of energy but there’s a pared back feel to the songs this time around, as the guitar fills have a harder edge and intriguing chunk-a-funk to them. There’s a persistent rumble beneath Chadwick’s poetic-yet-ambiguous lyrics, the bassist’s vocals continuing to float through the crooked rhythms and instrumental blurts. Wombo’s latest demands full attention and will take you to foreign spaces that will open up a thrilling dream world.
The title track opens the album with Chadwick’s popping basslines and vocal flights, short little snaps of Gang Of Four-meets-Blonde Redhead guitar interjections, and drum shuffles with quirky fills. The groove here is insatiable and Chadwick’s ululations intoxicating. Wombo introduce this record with a little bit more of an easy flow, yet throw in layers of underlying musical depth. “Cloud 36” opens with flickering guitar lines that snap at your speakers before the bass and drums play an astonishing game of cat and mouse as Chadwick’s voice floats, Trish Keenan style. The stops and starts play with a jumpy agitation that is fully articulated in the spastic drum fills and guitar textures driven by various FX pedals, as the arty and persistent rhythms astonish.
“Ugly Room” is one of the more ominous sounding songs on the record as the bass tone and unsettling bubbling is interspersed with arpeggiated and muted stings from the guitar. Chadwick once again floats semi-wordlessly, letting her hums add a sense of intrigue before a funky guitar break interlocks with the drums in an abrupt conclusion. “Spyhopping” ramps up the experimenting as the bass slowly pops and Lowe’s guitar work alternates between stinging lines and expounding chordal ringing. The guitar twangs and bends are in your face as the rhythm section locks itself together in a semi-shuffle and the vocals drift in and out adding various dimensions that push and pull for the listener’s attention with a little bit of drama.
Wombo are clearly setting out their stall as a band that will subvert outside expectations every time out, and that creates a truly interesting dynamic between their artistic approach and audience. Danger in Fives might throw some for a loop as they edge into darker, more mysterious territory, with a heightened pursuit of finding a danceable or grinding groove with even more intensity.
Wombo are always willing to experiment and find a new ways to further their musical goals in a forward looking fashion, with a playful enthusiasm that absolutely refuses to stay in one place. This record is exhilarating, at times a little confounding, but always shows itself in new ways listen after listen. New joys are abound on Danger in Fives, as you should excitedly embrace diving head first into the deep end (figuratively and literally).