Pterodactyl – Spills Out
Jagjaguwar: 2011
Woe be to Brooklyn bands.
Has there ever been a descriptor that carries such Instagram-snap judgments than when a band hails from New York’s most populous borough?
You are likely conjuring images of what a typical Brooklyn band sounds or (worse yet) looks like. Sometimes these stereotypes are fitting – George Carlin called stereotypes as a timesaver – but mostly they are disingenuous. The bands that famously fly the ‘Brooklyn band’ tag aren’t likely representative of the best music from the area.
Pterodactyl is a band from Brooklyn and by the end of Spills Out, they convince you that it’s not an entirely a bad thing.
Spills Out (November 14, Brah records) is Pterodactyl’s fourth and perhaps most polished album yet. The record opens with “School Glue” and leads with shimmering guitars that ring like an alarm clock, bursting into daylight with sunny, psychedelic-sounding harmonies. “Searchers” follows with a two-minute and twenty-six second exploration of the quest for identity, in a tune that layers a triplet-laden guitar line into a capably catchy ditty.
Drummer Matt Marlin the kind of drummer you listen for, just to see what he’s up to – and he’s busy. There’s a lot of Zach Hill (Hella, Marnie Stern) in his math rock beats, layering some tight polyrhythms, “exploring the space,” but still capably holding everything together. Repeated listens only impress further. Often, his percussion serves just as ably as an alternative melody.
After palate cleanser “Spills In,” the second half of the album shades darker and noisier, but no less interesting. Much of the latter half recalls their earlier work, particularly Worldwild, their 2009 release. Following ‘Spills Out,” the sound brightens a bit when the band (ironically?) recalls The Zombies in melody and harmonies on “Zombies”.
Ultimately, Pterodactyl has the sound of a band that’s trying to take flight towards the fleeting and fickle success of today’s independent musician. And while this likely won’t launch the band into the stratosphere, it should solidly stake their claim as a talented band, deserving of their time and place in the sun – which is certainly more than some can claim.
3.5 out of 5
