Temporary Room by Stagnant Pools

Temporary Room by Stagnant Pools

If your niche lies in the noise-rock, shoegaze of bands like My Bloody Valentine, Jesus & Mary Chain, Sonic Youth and Caribou, you're going to want to pay attention to Stagnant Pools and their debut album Temporary Room.

Stagnant Pools was formed by brothers and Indiana natives Bryan and Douglass Enas, who play guitar and drums respectively.  And that's it.  No bass, no synth and hardly any guitar effects besides loads of Kevin Shields-style distortion.  Temporary Room makes the Enas's familial relations absolutely apparent.  The songs are soldered with so much genetic chemistry that it's as if it was the creation of one person.  But it's not.  And despite being a caffeinated noisy cocktail, you can't accuse these brothers of overplaying.  This indicates an impressive level of discipline, but more remarkably, a natural command of songwriting and songcraft.  It might not sound like pop music, but these brothers know their way around a pop hook, keeping the music deceptively simple and very catchy.

Even for fans of the genre, it can take four or five songs to get into Stagnant Pools.  It's easy to write the first third of Temporary Pools as admirable—albeit ordinary—indie rock.  But beginning with the majestic title track, Pools simply dominates, spilling out great track after great track.  It's addicting stuff and while Stagnant Pools aren't innovators with their sonics, Temporary Room makes for one hell of a debut.  

Temporary Room by Stagnant Pools