For their debut offering, trans-American (they contain members from the US, Mexico and Peru) band The Face have decided to plot an experimental rock course, and one that's entirely instrumental. They mix things up a bit too which is good to hear and it prevents them getting too bogged down in post-rock soundscapes or truncated prog noodlings. In 'Confetti Memories' they have a song that wouldn't sound too out of place on a Stereolab album. It's probably the closest they come to a track that could be universally appreciated, as like many bands who explore similar ground (they mention The Mars Volta, Explosions In The Sky and Flying Lotus, we can't really argue) much of what's here will have a more cult appeal.
There is a proggy feel to 'Time and Space' but this too is less indulgent than you may expect; if there's such a thing as space-funk then it probably sounds a bit like this. They begin to venture into more ambient areas from this point; 'Anesthesia' could almost be a cut from The Orb's debut album if the guitar-heavy ending was removed, the crunching 'Through Silhouettes' is fairly close to conventional post-rock and is the least distinctive track on the EP, but it's good enough to go down well with fans of the genre, particularly its heavier side, and 'Allegoric Red' treads a similar path before breaking into more trippy space-funk for the mid-section. 'Dr Caligari' contains some impressive fretboard work, however that's not a particularly good thing and marks the point where the band do overstep the mark slightly. 'The Face' won't be for everyone, but when they let their own ideas take charge instead of following other bands they make a pretty decent noise.
The Face's website
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