Though Disappears just released the rumbling, guitar-powered Guider this past January, they wasted no time heading back into the studio with new drummer Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth fame. A few sessions at a recording studio in Hoboken later, the moody Chicago garage rockers birthed Live At Echo Canyon, which, despite its name, is no live album. But it is a five-song cassette that acts as a fine counterpoint to Guider as it’s a darker, more rhythmic affair.

Shelley’s presence certainly seems to impact the recording of Live At Echo Canyon. Where as on Guider the drums were a bit farther back in the mix – giving them a punchy pocket feel – here the drums are quite up front. They sound fuller livelier, and this effects the EP as a whole. Rhythms are more defined on Live At Echo Canyon than perhaps on any of the band’s previous releases as the bass and drums are seemingly the focal point.

But this is not to say the guitars are an afterthought. Instead of chugging along with a full head of steam from the start, the guitars on Canyon accent the bold bass lines with creepy, reverb-heavy riffs and twisted melodic leads.

Opening track, “All Gone White,” kicks off with a bass riff that is reminiscent of something that would be attempted on later-era Radiohead (Think “Nude” off of In Rainbows). Lead guitar then slowly begins to drip over the milky groove as the song takes on a lo-fi psychedelic feel.

“Hive Mind” is a slow lurker that relies on two guitar chords bathed in reverb. It eventually unwinds into an eerie chorus section with a melancholy tone over which Shelley keeps the backbeat quite minimalistic.

Possibly the most intriguing track on Live At Echo Canyon is the band’s take on “Radiation,” originally recorded by legendary electro-punk duo Suicide. The drum machines and cheap synthesizers of the original are gone, and, in pure Disappears style, replaced with tight snare attacks, smooth low end and echo-laden leads.

As good as Live At Echo Canyon is, it’s probably best viewed as a stop-gap between Guider and their next full-length release. But Live At Echo Canyon is a solid release in its own right and really excels at showing that Disappears’ sonic approaches know no bounds.

Live at Echo Canyon is available through Plustapes.
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DISAPPEARS
10:00 p.m., Friday, 5/6
The Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western Ave.
21+, $12.

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