Ifwhen – “We Will Gently Destroy You” – Self Released

Max Level   12/23/2005   A Library, CD

Atonal rock from this New York trio: Merc on guitar/ vox/beats, Kentaro on bass, and Mary on keyboards. The material is good and loud, slow-to-mid-tempo, with thick layers of keyboards washing over everything else. Everything else is: programmed drum beats, solid bass lines, and guitar that seems to be mostly fuzz-noise. I can’t make out any of the lyrics, but whatever they are Merc sings every song exactly the same way, soft and dreamy. The band calls its music ‘somewhat disorienting?, and I would not disagree with that. For example, the chord changes make no sense at all that I can determine. It all adds up to a nightmarish (but catchy in a weird way) experience. An aptly titled CD. It will gently destroy you.