Eleven Hours in Antwerp Review
by Peter J. D'Angelo
Virginia's Impossible Five plays a spacey hybrid of
brooding rock and harder edges that manages to stay pretty interesting
for the duration of the 12-track LP. Loose, reverberating guitars lead
the way through the more pensive numbers, but the group has no problem
shifting into early punk singalong styles either, especially on the
closing "Deception." Slightly fuzzy vocals command the record, but they
are oddly melodic and inviting in a Fugazi-like fashion. Much of the
record actually sounds quite a bit like the later and more melodic work
of D.C.'s favorite trendsetters, but Impossible Five also work in some
jagged rock moves to keep listeners guessing. Eleven Hours in Antwerp is
far from a trendsetting record, but it follows and builds on existing
styles with enough conviction to be convincing. The band can handle all
speeds and styles with equal agility, and there is a personable quality
to the songs that makes it more than a throwaway punk record or a dull
moody rock effort. Tracks like "A Transmission by Wire" burst with
nearly chaotic energy, and Impossible 5 are able to downshift their
sound in a split second, making their strengths even more noticeable.
This is the kind of record that may never make serious waves, but for a
few folks lucky enough to hear it, it could become something of a
personal favorite.
Tracklist
| 1 | Zero Zero | |
| 2 | Everything I Know | |
| 3 | The Laurentian Abyssal | |
| 4 | It's Only Fire | |
| 5 | A Sort Of Blue | |
| 6 | She's Gone Out | |
| 7 | Eleven Hours In Antwerp | |
| 8 | The Void | |
| 9 | I Can Only Say No | |
| 10 | A Transmission By Wire | |
| 11 | My Mind Has Wings | |
| 12 | Deception |
