Review by Matt Miller
Befuddled in a dark, hollow cavity focus is not yet in tune. Out of sync with the surroundings, trapped in void, all control is lost. Familiar resonance, like that of spoken sound waves bouncing off one wall onto another in a completely empty room, is heard in the distance. Scurrying now, hoping for answers, the noise is followed as it progresses deeper into the darkness. The echo of escape drifts through the emptiness, but quickly dwindles until it has fully vanished. The confusion of entrapment within the darkness returns.
Though it is a vague description, this is the best I can do to portray the scene shaped in my mind. Vivid imagery is created by the introductory song, “Below the Soul(e)” on ESC/CTRL, the second release from Northern Virginia’s 51 Peg. What you may hear at the beginning of the track is subtle reverberations following what sounds like the ping of a tuning fork being struck against a hard object. Note vibrations begin strong and slowly fade as the ping of metal repeats two more times, the last of which is accompanied by almost unnoticeable, unsteady, and perhaps panicked breathing. Abruptly then music forcefully interrupts with a building guitar that has an initial distant sound and quickly comes forward with vigor, almost like a racecar zipping by at the race track. This type of in and out, build and fade sound continues similarly throughout the whole song with electronics which replace the tuning fork and guitar sounds. The lyrics seem to back up the imagery the song creates with phrases like, This happy hole that I have found has led me into open spaces every step I take on solid ground leads me further into consternation and I never meant to take the me out of me I’ll never give you control.
Sometimes blatant and sometimes subtle, references to ideas of “escape” and “control” are consistent throughout the album. Thus, ESC/CTRL could not be a more fitting title for this album, but not only due to theme. Intertwining electronic and sampled sounds with the steady drumbeats and crisp guitar gives additional meaning to the computer oriented title using computer keyboard symbols for "escape" and "control." Samples and faint voice-overs are frequently used and are effective in influencing further mental imagery and interpretation. The album is rich with diversity, each song setting itself apart from the others, while the underlying theme remains in focus.
“Thin Victory,” the heaviest track on the album, is loaded with heavy electronics and very crunchy guitar. The chorus is catchy and impossible not to sing along with. “Access Denied” is solely an instrumental and electronic piece implementing odd sounds, voice-overs, and keys. There is much going on in the background of not only this track, but most songs on the album. In description this may make the album seem rather busy and unfavorable, but that really isn't the case. The oddities of sound are frequently entangled very subtly in the song so that the resulting sound is actually harmonic and able to flow quite well.
“Landmine” has to be one of the best tracks on the album. Land mine, an explosive mine laid usually just below the surface of the ground, implies a trapped feeling of being underground in a cave-like cocoon; a thought inline with the reoccurrent imagery and theme. The song is very calm and steady, not at all explosive like the title implies, but rather mellow like in a state prior to explosion. The chorus and keys accompany each other with memorizing and addictive results.
ESC/CTRL is a complex album that sways above and below the surface in both music and thought. Following up the debut release, Strange Appointments released back in 2000, 51 Peg has continued to expand upon their strengths and has created yet again an enjoyable compliation.