PRESS :: Review Gist "Diesel City BigYawn.net, Monday, December 5, 2006 RATED 9.1: Good things come to those who wait, or so the saying goes. It's been a long time between Gist releases. But after three years and a lineup shuffle, the post-punk post-rock trio of Gist have finally brought Diesel City into the light of the late fall's day. And as axiomatic sayings go, well, the truth is in the listening, and the truth will set you free. To put it bluntly, Diesel City is simply one of the best records I�ve come across in what has otherwise been a pretty lackluster crop in rock this year. The promotional materials describe Diesel City as "a raw and uncompromising mix of dynamic post-punk and hook-laden rock�n�roll," which really is a fairly accurate synopsis of the record. The guitars are, in alternate turns, crunchy then mathy, with lots of stops and starts and an angry bite to the tone. The bass is prominent in the mix, and driving throughout; the drums crisp and precise. The song structures are somewhat complex with numerous changes in pattern and dynamics. Gist lead vocalist, Nayan Bhula has a rather unusual timbre to his voice, sometimes bordering on the paranoid and desperate, all of which serves to add to the tension and urgency of the material. On certain tracks, such as "Fugue,? his vocal delivery lends an almost poetry slam feel to the lyrical pace. Diesel City is chock full of tunes capable of being ear candy for quite some time. In particular, "Asunder" is a rather amazing five minutes of post rock. Finlay Martin's intro bass line in "On the Road" is sublimely psychedelic, yet referencing a bit of early 70s funk. A particular delight for these ears is the album closer, "Diesel City," which features an additional cast of characters chiming in while Nayan and guest Carmen Vasquez, play what is essentially old timey country music. In fact, the only discernable misstep on the entire record is the introduction to the very first song, "Eclipse" (which is otherwise one of the best tracks on the entire record). The song starts out with the players each sort of fumbling around for about twenty seconds, as if they were individually sound-checking before a live set, before the drummer, Fred Burton brings order to the chaos with a rapid snare beat. It's not that the overall effect of such a disorganized beginning is bad; rather, it's a very distracting way to start out an album, having the effect of sounding like twenty seconds where the band's simply not playing cohesively. More than anything, it's just a bit unfortunate the band chose to use that particular form of introduction on the very first track, instead of later in the album where it would not be as off-putting. That said, once the song proper begins, "Eclipse" is a real smoker indeed, full of drive and force -- a number that can hold its own with anything, period. Overall, Diesel City makes a strong statement for indie rock in today's DC, and proves there is room left for originality and inventiveness, in both composition and execution, and that both can still be achieved without getting away from making a record that still sounds good to the casual ear.