It's a monster, 'Movie Monster.'
There is a saying (or more commonly now, a t-shirt) that says "Don't mess with Texas." That's probably very good advice, unless it refers to the Scottish band Texas whereas the best advice would be to punch them right on the nose...at least twice. Back to the American Texas though, and Sound Team are six hardy souls hailing from Austin, Texas and their 'Movie Monster' record suggests that they'd be able to handle themselves if things got interesting.
Theres a hell of a lot going on with Sound Team, virtually every track takes the listener to different places and can be slightly disorientating at first but soon the variety shows itself. 'No More Birthdays' sounds like The Shins if they were forced to play squelchy keyboards to underpin their songs. The melodies and vocal hooks stand out tremendously but the whirring and sloping behind the track is strange at first but soon becomes quite interesting and this song is an early highlight.
The title track follows on and is a muted, dark stomper that menacingly lies low in the mix apart from a pulsing keyboard riff which bleeps out in front of the track. Coming straight from a melodious ditty, its an unforeseen turn but like its predecessor, starts to please after the bemusement wears away.
The albums title is fairly reminiscent of Can and their 'Monster Movie' lp and there is an element of this genre in Sound Team. The rhythm section is extremely song with 'TV Torso' featuring an infectious beat that could well be remixed into a modern floor-stomper. With it also being the longest track on the album, its allowed to expand and the band lock into a good flow. Depending on how long they extend the jam period to in their live shows, it may border on good or bad. Even then, the guitar parts and workouts are fairly fluid, calling to mind Arcade Fire or late 70's Neil Young as they crank up the volume but do so in sharp bursts without hogging the limelight entirely.
With the influences on this record appearing to stretch from Neil Young via the Krautrock style bands up unto modern electronica and Wilco, 'Movie Monster' contains a bewildering amount of styles and sounds but manages to maintain a unified front for the listener.
As an album it may be a bit abstract for everyone but theres a lot of great moments to be had here and its an album that will unfold great hidden moments with each listen.