Industrial drum beats run the length of their fifth album, as a newcomer to the three-piece Lia Braswell hits the skins and adds cold and haunting backup vocals to frontman Oliver Ackermann’s lyrical despair.
However, one can’t help but think of Black Mountain’s popular ‘Wucan’ track at this point, where the fine line of inspiration and imitation squarely falls into the latter. Soon you may feel that every element you like on Pinned is an element you’ve heard elsewhere, such as Joy Division’s guitar ambience, Sonic Youth’s vocal intonations, or The Jesus & Mary Chain’s brand of noise.
People who despair at modern music’s lack of edge and avant-garde experimentation may initially be enthralled with Pinned, however I fear time will reveal this enjoyable listen for what it is – not a vital piece of art but a historical document, a curation of previous artists, a collective art gallery rather than an original painting.
6/10
