Thursday the 18th (of February): The Contortionist - Cortical

     I'm only going back a couple of years for this Throwback Thursday post, but that doesn't make it any less of a corker. Yes, I just said corker. I'm old. And apparently British inside. Any road, we're headed back to 2012 for a track from The Contortionist's sophomore LP Intrinsic.

     "Cortical" is a great example of the kind of progressive metal blend happening on Intrinsic -- soft synthwaves lapping up against angular space djent beaches. This song finds itself in a weird little groove by the end of it, with a sort of jazzy, down-tempo lead going over it, and it's all these disparate influences that seem to make a Contortionist record, cropping up here and there. Intrinsic is a different beast than 2010's Exoplanet, and different still from 2014's Language, so what new material from these guys would sound like is anyone's guess. But hey, that's a two-year album cycle right there, so maybe 2016 will see some new stuff, and a new twist, from The Contortionist.

Thursday: The Contortionist - Oscillator

     See? This is the kind of pace that needs to happen to get this ship back on track (mixed metaphor = on purpose, lit wonks). Let's keep it going with a little Throwback Thursday action, albeit a shortish kind of throw.

     The Contortionist has undergone quite a transition over the course of three albums, but many fans still stand by 2010's debut Exoplanet as the band's high point. I don't know that I'm one of those (sophomore disc Intrinsic is probably still my favourite from the band's catalogue) but I definitely can appreciate The Contortionist's heavier roots.

     To that end, let's throw it back five years for "Oscillator" from Exoplanet, a meaty mid-album number that perfectly sums up what The Contortionist were up to way back when. It's only a half-decade throwback, but it still counts, right?

Wednesday: The Contortionist - Ebb & Flow

     It's been a few weeks since the atmospheric prog djentlemen in The Contortionist released their third album Language, and now that I've had some time to sit with this record I've decided that there's at least another day's worth of song to be featured there.

     Initially, I didn't react as strongly or as positively as I did to the band's last album; I really liked Intrinsic when it came out, so much so that I named it one of my favourite albums of 2012. I was little disappointed to find that Language did hook me quite so instantly or quite so hard. But that's not to say that Language isn't a good record, merely that it's a bit of a grower and not a shower, so to speak.

     For me at least, Language has improved with every play, and I'm liking it more and more as time goes by, thanks in no small part to penultimate track "Ebb & Flow". True to its title, "Ebb & Flow" does a good job of incorporating the potentially disparate heavier and lighter elements that are The Contortionist's stock-in-trade. Have a listen -- if you dig this one chances are Language will grow on you too.

The Contortionist - Feedback Loop

     New album news just keeps rolling in, and I for one won't complain. Just as Darkest Hour have stopped teasing us and declared that their next disc will actually be self-titled (despite the hashtag Fuck Waiting Around to Die), the death-proggers in The Contortionist are teasing their next LP Languauge, due out in September.

     Alas, while Darkest Hour have given us a sample song from their forthcoming disc, The Contortionist have thus far only released a teaser snippet, leaving me to mine the band's first two LPs for a commemorative song to recommend to you. The song I've chosen, "Feedback Loop", is a perfect example of the juxtaposition of 'beauty' and 'beast' The Contortionist went for on 2012's Intrinsic, but with only a teaser to go on I have no idea how Language will stack up in comparison. Just groove to "Feedback Loop" for now and we'll check back when the boys release a song, OK?

The Contortionist - Vessel

     Were I ever to be in some bizarre situation in which under threat of physical violence I'm forced to decide whether I prefer The Contortionist's first disc Exoplanet over their sophomore Intrinsic, or vice verse, I don't know what I'd say.

     One the one hand, Intrinsic is a refinement of what The Contortionist does, an evolutionary step forward, a whole greater than the sum of its parts. On the other hand, Exoplanet has songs like my pick for today. If "Vessel" doesn't make you wish The Contortionist would release a new record already, I don't know what will.

Song of the Day: The Contortionist - Flourish

     I jumped on the The Contortionist bandwagon with last year's Intrinsic, but I recently picked up a copy of their debut disc Exoplanet, and I can see now that these guys are an example of a band that really has evolved and expanded their sound.

Song of the Day: The Contortionist - Dreaming Schematics

     Lately there's been a few past songs of the day that have received the moving picture treatment, requiring me to go back and comment on a post with the video so that if by some slim chance you show up here not having seen the latest and greatest you can glean a little something something from your visit to Loud Noises. It's really a lot of hassle. Like, tons. So this evening I'm going to eliminate the middleman that is me and cut straight to the chase by picking a song that already has a video.

Song of the Day: The Contortionist - Holomovement

     Today I've got an adventure in Progland for you to embark upon. Ever heard of The Contortionist? Yes? No? Maybe so? Well you should hear of them. Their second LP, Intrinsic, was released last month, and while they're not yet ready to unseat a band like Between the Buried and Me for prog-metal supremacy, they're definitely worth checking out if, like me, you're a fan of this kind of thing, and I don't doubt that Intrinsic will appear on more than a few "best of 2012" lists come the end of the year.