Runes [LP]

The debut full-length outing from the English indie rock trio, Runes is a slow-building amalgam of inexorable Motorik beats, staccato guitar licks, and brooding synths that should please fans of post-punk revivalists like Editors, the Horrors, and Future Islands. Hypnotic opener "Legacy Project" unfolds slowly -- the first vocals don't arrive until nearly four minutes in -- patiently setting the table for vocalist/drummer Ben Leverock's even-tempered delivery. Both "Slowly Sinking" and "A Smaller Part" dip into moody Alt-J territory, albeit with a distinct '80s pop vibe, as does the atmospheric -- and far more dynamic -- closer "Waxen Palm." The claws come out a bit on the burly single "Real Blood," due in large part to Stuart Gardham's very Joey Santiago-esque guitar work -- Doolittle-era Pixies seems to be a sort of sonic touchstone throughout -- but for the most part, the workmanlike Runes leans harder on the narcotic end of the post-punk spectrum. ~ James Christopher Monger