All the words that come to mind to describe “In Piles/On File,” the first-released song from Bring Back the Guns’ debut, Dry Futures, aren’t quite the right ones. I want to say “angular,” but I hate the word “angular,” and while it fits, it just sounds too boring and ordinary for this song. I want to say “organized chaos,” but that isn’t exciting enough, either.

Bring Back The Guns: “In Piles/On File” (download)

How do you capture a song so deftly orchestrated, yet simultaneously unexpected? When “In Piles/On File” opens, you’re anxious, at first, waiting for the vocals to kick in. Are they ever going to kick in? Where are the vocals? By the time you’re used to where they’re headed, what they’re doing, glad, even that there aren’t any vocals, they finally kick in, somehow making better what you thought, mere moments ago, was great just as it was. Nothing is overdone here – the driving force of the music would lead us to believe that they should be shouting and screaming every word, but the calm, controlled, only occasionally strained vocals work in a way that shouts and screams never could, and are somehow far more effective.

When it all comes to its foreseen yet exhilarating crash down ending, the only appropriate response is to say, out loud, “damn!” and hit the repeat button. Yes, ok, maybe this has been done before, but is there any other band doing it right now, this well? I don’t think so.

Dry Futures will be released on October 2nd.

Bring Back The Guns Official Site
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