This one got stuck in my head the same way A Lot Like Birds did earlier this week: listening to my un-posted best of 2017 list. This might be a turn off, but if you haven’t heard Mossbreaker yet, it’s simple: they sound exactly like Failure. Obviously if I’m considering it a top record of 2017 then that fact doesn’t deter me one bit. They’re kind of more efficient. Other than the opening intro track, there isn’t any “Segue…” or long outro fillers. I know, filler tracks are supposed to add to the story of the album, but rarely does it work for me. Ire Works is Dillinger’s worst record, if you remove the filler tracks from Spitfire’s Cult Fiction it flows better (which leads me to believe they added those well after the album was completed), and even the acoustic guitar at the end of “Magnified” leading into “Wonderful Life” is pointless as it doesn’t lead in at all. The only time I’ve ever found the filler to actually progress the story of a record is on Grievances by Rolo Tomassi and even that took almost 2 years before it felt right. Mossbreaker trims the fat, but they do employ Ken Andrews on the album’s title track, which feels a little too on the nose. On a lesser record it would be egregious, but Between the Noise and You smokes, as displayed above by its first non-filler track.
Listen to Between the Noise and You on Spotify
stevenlikesnothing 