Album Review: Iran - Dissolver

Originally published April 14, 2009 in Soundcheck Magazine.
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Iran
Dissolver
Narnack Records

On Dissolver, Iran peels the volatile exterior layers that were formed on its previous noise rock albums and starts to reveal a tender core. A longtime project of multi-instrumentalist Aaron Aites and TV on the Radio guitarist Kyp Malone, Iran sweeps through the fuzz and unveils its ability to write songs that are conventionally pleasant.

Music fans last heard from Iran in 2003 with The Moon Boys, which followed a self-titled debut in 2000. Both were full of buzzing, combusting, and crashing sounds that carried engaging melodies. Dissolver holds on to a bit of the noisy aesthetic, but it is not exactly a middle ground between the blatant experimentation and straightforward pop.

Produced by TV on the Radio’s David Sitek, Dissolver is not a bad progression to a cleaner sound, but the change might be too much too soon for some fans. “Digital Clock and Phone” is the only track that truly channels the sharp clamor of previous albums, but it sounds like an ordinary jam session, rather than a mind-bending track.

Instead of concentrating the noise rock on single tracks, Iran sprinkles it in the background of each song. On opener “I Can See the Future” and “Buddy”, the band gets close to a middle ground without sounding jarring. Distorted guitars add gritty sounds to otherwise clear songs, whereas, bluesy piano adds a soft touch to “Buddy”, which is driven by whirling guitars.

On “Airport ’79”, warped sounds take a back seat to the smooth melody and instead of dominating, they complement the vocals by swiftly traveling in the backdrop. However, on “Baby, Let’s Get High One Last Time Together”, screeching sounds in the background distract from the melody and sound disconnected.

While there are a few similarities to TV on the Radio, Dissolver shines when it pushes Aites’ vocals to the forefront. Previous albums made it hard for listeners to take notice of his pleasant voice, which seems to ooze out emotions with grace and ease. He rarely applies exertion, but when there is a spike, for example on “I Already Know You’re Wrong” and “Evil Summer”, it creates delightful dynamics.

Dissolver might not be the album for those set on getting a release that echoes The Moon Boys and Iran, but it seems as though Iran still has a few more layers to break through, and it will be fun to see what the band comes up with next.