In The Event Of Tomorrow
Independent release, 2005
REVIEW BY: Vish Iyer
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 06/16/2006
For a new band that ventures out to do music, the enthusiasm more often than not is fueled by the profound inspiration from the one act they love the most. At times, this inspiration results in an over-zealous imitation of the inspiring band. This is exactly the case with the debut effort In The Event Of Tomorrow from Bloomington, Indiana's The Post.
On the very first encounter, Tomorrow is like listening to CD two of the double disc of OK Computer that Radiohead decided not to release. Everything about this record behaves and breathes like OK Computer; even the sleeve artwork on the record has cryptic texts like "In The Future: our systems will surely fail" and "Please, let us sleep" or credits that read "Expertly recorded by…" or "Polaroids dangerously shot by…" that are typically found in the booklet of a Radiohead album.
Tomorrow is a brilliant debut record; but too brilliantly like Radiohead. The vocals are all echoey and doped like that of Thom Yorke, and the singing is deceptively indiscernible, with Yorke's signature whining and hysterical repetition of words done in almost replicate fashion. And, there are words -- relating the weirdest entities to the weirdest situations -- like "Your body's broken / The spider melts it down" (on "A Place To Sit") that makes the whole Radiohead-like experience satisfyingly complete.
But, the thing that is perplexing about The Post's Radiohead-imitating tendency is that Tomorrow is a genuinely good record, to which this band surely deserves credit and makes one think the imitation is just a weak spot in the group's manner of creative expression.
With further listening, the true artistry of this band surfaces, and The Post appears to be a completely different outfit than just another Radiohead clone. The group's sound is a distinctive mix of new wave and garage, which is fused with psychedelic dissonance and melodiousness. This interesting combination results in an innovative style, and when mixed with the Radiohead ambition is even more appealing.
The album's great numbers like "Where Are The Wolves," "Shattered At The Mouthpiece," and the amazing closer "Polar" lose their edge a bit, but other great cuts like "Helping Hands," "Different Engine," and "Until We Bring," show a degree of originality and provide reassurance to the listener of this act's natural style, something that they should stick to more often.
There is absolutely no doubt that The Post is a group of talented musicians. But having said so, the reverence for their heroes is overweighing their own creativity. Even the biggest bands seek inspiration from their influences, but they use this inspiration to fuel originality. If only these guys could concentrate on what they are able to offer, and not on what they feel would sell, this record would've been an even better, more authentic effort.