Think No Think
Silent City
Reviewed by Raoul Hernandez, Fri., Aug. 11, 2017
No thought necessary: John Dowey's a rock star. And if you've glimpsed the Austin trio leader's mane, you know it's already gone to his head, from which emanates a classic, old-school whine from the proverbial void. So feigns the title song leading off this brain-splatter red vinyl, its 1970 Birmingham glower instantly familiar until an extreme tempo drop seizes up into minimalist post-punk. That turning point in the opening minutes of debut LP Silent City keeps Think No Think coiled in suspense. Psych come-on "Take a Little for Your Mind" separates church and state – band from bawler – as it amps down into the rhythm method of Nick Bakke and Lee Adams with Dowey etching guitar art. Tribal atmospherics haze up flipside burst "432 Dreams" into a droning mosh verging on Krautrock, but "Start a War" touches off a true Teutonic banger – beating, charging, chugging slap-down. Now note the yowl of "Strange Truth," which only hints at Dowey's golden screech. Jack White, eat your heart out.
