Broken Water (Tempest)

Crank this to 8.5 of 11

Released: 2012

Genre: Shoegaze

Sounds Like: Cell, Pixies, Pale Saints

Broken Water's sophomore album Tempest sounds as if it took just one take to make in a low budget studio. We got beyond the lo-fi production on this one pretty quickly and realized that it's an impressive 30 minutes of fuzz appeal. This is the type of band that will pop up on some random night at a local hole in the wall bar and just enthrall and grab your attention.

After several listens we found ourselves with a strong desire to seek them out live. The album actually feels as though it was recorded live with some very crisp bass and guitar feedback contrast. The three piece band features both male and female vocals that play very well off each other supported by a diverse blend of grunge, psychedelia, and shoegaze.

The predominant mid-tempo appeal amongst lazy guitar-fuzz that builds into powerful moments fits beautifully with the diverse vocals.  Its refreshing to hear Broken Water capture that short-window of impressive post punk grunge shoegaze (however you want to label) early 90s feel. While more polished bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs may harness a more marketable recipe, Broken Water has captured us with their blatant rawness and unfiltered impromptu magic.

Nine of the ten tracks shine on Tempest, with "Chantal Seder" being the weakest of the lot. The track sounds like a decrepit version of Sweet Jane. That is really the only negative comment we can give you on this one. We will end on a high note... pick this album up! It is refreshing and will bring you back to the early 90s when raw fuzz and depressing emotion felt good.

Standout Track: Underground, Paranoid

Follow Broken Water: Bandcamp / Facebook