I'm bringing back an old institution after a couple of weeks without any inspiration. This time my drooping antennae were compelled northward by the signal of an LP aged three years in the pipeline. Most descriptions of Montreal's Complications will start with the members' prior involvement in Born Dead Icons. An irresistible attention-grabber, no doubt, but inadequate for descriptive purposes. You might also see the Killing Joke reference, and here we start to unravel the secret. Whether you settle on post-punk, post-hardcore, dark punk, etc, Complications will likely mesmerize many listeners at first with the complex layering of their dark guitaristry, such as the amazing second riff in today's selection, "Images." Such shadowy music deserves a fitting vocalist, and here I think the band succeeds again. At the risk of completely missing the mark, I offer this: the creeky basement despair of Rozz, the rasp of Piciotto, the gravely hum of Stubbs. Despite the persistent gloom, there's odd warmth to the band's sound that isn't common among its tribe; this is due in part to the drums which in calmer instants lull and rock, but in fits of violence pulse and pump-- the former like a warm oatmeal stout by the fire on a moonless night; the latter a frantic chase through a tunnel whose end is a mere pin-point aperture. I thought I could kick the habit I had formed from listening to Zygote and Bad Influence, but it seems with bands like Complications and Cross Stitched Eyes around, there may be no end to it. "
Images" from the self-titled LP by Complications (Feral Ward Records)
Complications was a pariah mongrel of death rock and punk unleashed by members of Born Dead Icons, The Black Hand, etc. For me, this seemingly rare 7" evokes a heart-pumping pursuit of mysterious ends through a twilit dreamscape, all the while skirting along the edge of a nightmare but never quite lapsing into it. It's no doubt an exhilarating experience which can be enjoyed in a more fruitful and layered form on their LP, and which I hope you'll pick up from a distributor of your choice. Once the LP becomes harder to find, I'll just have to post that too. 
