31:13
Label: Arclight
Rated: NONE
Media: CD
Format: Album
WorkNameSort: 31:13
The notion of the single-track album ‘ especially the sprawling, dense and heavy single-track album ‘ isn’t nearly as novel as the many artists who make them think it is. And though the Texas boys in Cardinale probably thought they had stumbled upon an attention-getting trifecta (single-track album … titled after the exact length of the track … released as a debut), they needn’t have bothered with such gimmicks. Pushing prog-rock grandiosity through a thunderous rhythm section and churning guitar patterns, Cardinale ramps up the thudding attack of a group like Pelican, tosses in the occasional out-of-context vocal growl, and spreads it all waaaaay out. Though piqued by the idea of making one very long song, Cardinale really don’t treat 31:13 as a singular work; it’s divided up into, er, movements that don’t necessarily relate to one another, though there’s a bit of circularity and a definite consistency to the disc. But rather than getting people’s attention with the format, all these guys have done is ensure that their music never gets played on anyone’s iPod.
This article appears in May 17-23, 2006.