Back in the first few years of the millennium, Brooklyn’s Iran (named not after the nation but the wife of the main character in science-fiction legend Philip K. Dick’s seminal novel, Do Androids Dream Electric Sheep?, which was made into the equally seminal SF movie Bladerunner – though ‘Iran’ was dropped in that adaptation…) made waves in indie circles with two lo-fi experimental records, Iran and Moon Boys. Then guitarist Kyp Malone joined TV On the Radio (QRO live review), which would go on to serious indie-rock success with Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes in 2004 (following that up on Return To Cookie Mountain and last year’s Dear Science – QRO review). But now, seven years after their last record, the trio of Malone, singer/multi-instrumentalist Aaron Aites and guitarist Aaron Romanello return like Khomeini with Dissolver, a record that strongly shifts away from the earlier crackle and buzz, while retaining its interesting complexity beneath greater accessibility.
Lots of differing sounds and approaches appear, mixing into something a little hard to define. There are definitely pop sensibilities and harmonies, but the at-first-innocent-sounding jangle actually contains something of a punk nature and experimental ways. Certain tracks have certain other elements, like the slow fifties-pop of single “Buddy”, almost alt-country alt-rock in “Baby Let’s Get High One Last Time”, ‘jam band on tech’ way of instrumental “Digital Clock and Phone”, and lo-fi fuzz vocals over a nearly jazz-like tech flow with “Where I’m Going”. Sometimes the elements don’t all come together – “Buddy” is more interesting than good, and the following slow & high “I Already Know You’re Wrong” tries a little too hard for meaning (and, like any time ‘jam band’ and ‘instrumental’ are used in the same sentence, “Digital” goes on too long). But the punk upswing of opener “I Can See the Future” introduces this compelling record well, while “Baby” has strong tempo and play. Meanwhile, “Airport ‘79” sees its sad alt-folk/rock swing built up with surprisingly well-working lyrics, in both rhythm and catch.
For TVOTR fans, at first glance there isn’t much on Dissolver that harkens to Malone’s ‘other’ band (save his final chorus line on “Future”), but on further spins that group’s tendency to experiment in the technological, but not over electronic, arena can be heard. More clearly one can pick it up in the final two tracks, “Can I Feel What?” and “Evil Summer”, but even between those two, Iran does things differently: “What?” is TVOTR-like fuzz, tech, and beat, but not to those extremes, instead with a little more harmony; “Summer”, on the other hand, delivers energy like a pop-TVOTR, upbeat, but with complexity (like nineties alt-fun experimenters Pavement – QRO album review).
For experimental rock diehards, especially those who worship at the lo-fi buzz & fuzz altar, there will probably be cries of heresy as Iran has stripped out much of that veneer for seemingly pop-friendly songs. But the trio is skilled enough not to need to drape themselves in such obvious experimentation – instead the work is done from beneath, from within. Like their not-namesake, Iran borders many different things; like its actual namesake, those elements dissolve well together on this record.
