Whimsy paired with understatement--this is one way of viewing the half-troubled, half-wispy vocals of Audrey Gallagher merging into the raw electricity of Scheer, the new, captivating, nebulous musical experience, perhaps defined by some as rock for the sake of rock--but is it really?
4AD Records, despite the signing of bands like Tarnation and the loss of Red House Painters, has never raised quite as many eyebrows as when they recently signed this not-so-shoegazing Irish rock band. The event has been seen by many 4AD fans as, at best, quite a change in the way the label does business. But it is illogical for fans to say that 4AD is really rocking the boat by signing a band specializing in such straightforward harshness--they've done it multiple times before (Pixies, Unrest/Air Miami, and more). The band asserts, however, that there is nothing aesthetically flawed about pure rock. If comparisons are to be made, Scheer is less eccentric, more user-friendly than their fellow harder label-mates.
The bottom line is that Scheer are a glittering, beautifully rough act in concert, but are standard rock stars on record. Having seen them on the St. Louis date of Shaving the Pavement (the recent 4AD festival tour), it is apparent that although Infliction is catchy, energetic, and a good listen, it is easier to listen to without a yawn after such an impressive performance (the album was completely uninteresting to me before the show). In fact, 4AD founder Ivo Watts-Russell felt the same way after seeing the band perform, saying that he was unsure about the band until that point, but something just "clicked" at the show. Whether it was difficulty in the studio or bad planning that flawed the final product, Scheer unfortunately presents themselves on their album as neither terribly boring nor incredibly interesting.
Standout tracks include "Shea", "Wish You Were Dead", "Demon", "Screaming", "Goodbye". Vague pieces of familiar 4AD themes can be heard on such tracks by imaginative souls after several listens. Yet this a difficult task, because the band succeeds at avoiding displaying influences from other bands, just as they had hoped. But for fun, this reviewer must take a stab at pegging them, as the rest of the music press already has. In a certain mood, Scheer could possibly be compared, as an unidentified reviewer proposed, to a "turbocharged Sundays." However, what they really are is best left to the listener to decide.
