Thinking about this band makes me want to whack my head against the wall until either cracks first. Not because the band is hideous or anything (quite the contrary), but simply because of the fact that only today did I realize that Jake from the band ever contacted me in the first place...a month ago. So yeah, apparently I suck hard with managing my e-mail inbox, I hate it so much when I don't reply to a band submission. Anyways, moving on from my shame....
"Boats Against The Current" are nothing other than a duo from Orlando, USA playing some sweet mathy, jazzy, screamo! One might conclude that a sentence ended with an exclamation mark would stand for amazement and excitement, which is absolutely correct. For some reason I am extremely attracted to bands which have something unorthodox, be it a weird number of members or some crazy instrument amongst themselves. Obviously, what surprised me here is the "duo" thing. There was one such similar band before, "The Sea Swallowed Us Whole", which I love so damn much, basically I can't describe it with words. It is well enough to say that I instantly fell in love with it, because it had a special something that attracted me. Either way, like with the mentioned band, the same happened to me with "Boats Against The Current". You would think that a duo consisting of drums and a guitar would be way to simple when it comes to making sound, but it is quite the opposite. Of course, you can sense a difference due to the lack of a bass or second guitar, yet the great thing is that you don't feel that as being a flaw. When you are on the task of creating music with only two elements then it seems that the very passion and creativity that drives you becomes a member of the band. This may sound stupid, but trust me when I say that this band has more passion floating around their tunes than a lot other bands full of members. The melodies that "Boats Against The Current" create are constantly changing, as well as the general mood the songs invoke in you. This fluctuation of emotions is quite masterfully achieved and it ranges from quite sad tones to mellow, joyful and somehow hopeful.
On the technical side, the combination of a guitar and drums really lets you just sit back and enjoy. Most of the times when I write a review or just analyze some band's music, I really have to make an effort to pick just one instrument and focus on it which some times just can't even happen. Here of course, it is extremely easy and it is great when you can just relax, let the music wash over you and be able to touch and hear every bit of it.
While I am on the technical side of things, it is worth pointing out that there are three "releases" on their bandcamp page and they are all different when compared to each other. While the "Ta ta tera" thingy was probably a funny pastime, the "unfinished tracks" and the demo are definitely a bright star of this band. "Unfinished tracks" hail from August 2010 and this is an all instrumental release, obviously not finished to the point of adding vocals. And this is quite amazing. Imagine "The Sea Swallowed Us Whole", "Lion of the North" and "Me and Goliath" having a dance and you get "Boats Against The Current". These tracks were the focus of this writeup and as I wrote above, this is probably the most passionate, heartfelt music I heard in a while. However, despite the fact that this was the focus of my writing it doesn't mean that the demo is bad. The only problem with the demo is that it was recorded live, most likely from a gig the band did (unintentional rhyme) judging by the sound. The recording is way to crunchy and chaotic to be enjoyable as much as the other tracks, but it is definitely worth checking out because of the vocals. Yes, the vocals are present here and damn I like them! I could only imagine the vocal being added to the unfinished tracks, makes me get goosebumps! There are two more exclamation marks, so go figure.
All in all, this was an extremely great surprise. I am very pleased with this band and would love to hear their final release, since these tunes just blew me away. Honestly, I really hope that these guys are still playing music together, it would be a real shame that this project dies when it has so much potential. "Boats Against The Current" are definitely worth your time, so I urge all of you to give them a try.
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