World Is Too Much with Us

Though their name evokes a harmonious calm, the kind of mood that Peace like to work in is a lot darker than their flower child name would imply. This kind of misdirection comes into play all over the band's sophomore album, The World Is Too Much with Us. The sunny bounce of opener "Your Hand in Mine" sounds like the Smiths fronted by Ian Curtis, with singer Dan Geddes' subversively restrained performance offsetting the jangly-guitar attempt to inject a little bit of carefree fun into the song. From there, the album begins to take on a more hypnotic, vaguely menacing tone, delivering plenty of thumping, danceable tunes like "The Perp Walk" and "Fun and Games," while always giving the impression that something is just a little bit off. This kind of approach allows the Vancouver post-punk outfit to deliver on the promise of their moniker in unexpected ways, providing a peace that comes not from flower child love and togetherness, but from a trance-like pacifism that draws listeners into the intoxicating darkness with pounding rhythms and brooding atmospherics before bringing them fully under their mesmeric spell with careful repetition. What's amazing about the album is that Peace manages to deliver such a brooding, sometimes ominous atmosphere without ever letting the album feel oppressive, making the listener a willing participant in the pleasantly numbing experience that is The World Is Too Much with Us. ~ Gregory Heaney