Album of the Week: Panorama — La Dispute
Sam Marshall takes his second shot at Album of the Week, with La Dispute’s fourth studio album ‘Panorama’. Take a read below to see what he thinks and if you agree!
After a quiet few years from La Dispute, the Michigan quintet have had a busy few months, first signing to major punk and alternative label Epitaph Records, before remastering and reissuing their much-loved debut album Somewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair for its tenth anniversary. As a result, this created much furore among their dedicated fanbase in anticipation of their first album since 2014’s Rooms of the House. December of last year saw the release of single ROSE QUARTZ/FULTON STREET I with an accompanying music video which for many reasons marked the beginning of a new era for a band reaching their fifteenth year of existence.
It could be said of their much-celebrated earlier work that the balance between the poetic spoken word delivery of frontman Jordan Dreyer and the sonic backdrop of the band have been at times off, giving too much — or at times too little — emphasis to the beautiful yet dark lyrical content. This contradiction of styles is, of course, part of the band’s appeal, while usually labelled as a post-hardcore band — part of the wave of emotionally-driven hardcore bands that emerged around a decade ago including their collaborators Touche Amore — they incorporate influences from metal, punk, hardcore, folk, and the avant-garde. This has made for a rather artful heavy music experience, much-loved by their fanbase, yet sometimes letting them down over the course of an album. Panorama sees them combine these influences more effectively than ever before but meanwhile sees them finally distinguish their own unique sound in all its glory.
The ethereal artistic direction is matched by vast soundscapes, with softer more electronic elements being counteracted by increasingly sporadic heavier moments, which only adds to their impact. The first few tracks certainly set this tone — offering a musical atmosphere they have often strived for in the past, but triumphing tenfold here, with each track flowing effortlessly into the next to create their most complete piece of work yet. As previously alluded to, the incorporation of electronic elements and layered soundscapes sees La Dispute explore further new territory musically, yet most impressive is how they have retained the characteristics that have seen them garner such a dedicated fanbase — Panorama is unmistakably a La Dispute record, yet is also unlike anything they have released prior.
La Dispute music videos have been few and far between for previous albums, boasting a grand total of four before the current album cycle. It should not be understated then, that the aforementioned video for ROSE QUARTZ/FULTON STREET I is symptomatic of the wider album experience La Dispute have created with Panorama. The video follows the perspective of deer experiencing car accidents through the medium of a psychedelic animation, an interesting take on a song that describes the grief of someone being lost in a car accident, with the narrator doubting how he could cope with such a loss and pondering “will I ever put flowers by the street?”. This video, incorporating the first two tracks of Panorama, sets the tone for the album experience, firstly by utilising the colours and ethereal style of the album cover and latterly with the musical and lyrical content. The themes of death and grief are picked up time and time again over the course of the album, much-trodden lyrical territory for the ever emotionally-visceral outfit, meanwhile such darkness is counterbalanced by the rather beautiful musical backdrop being created. This immediately marks a further step in the melodic direction La Dispute have been tracing over the course of their discography and is an early indication that this album would see the band hit their musical peak.
After the duality of FULTON STREET I & II and the similarly spaced-out RHODONITE AND GRIEF, the latter of which recounts a struggle to help a loved one dealing with grief, the album gives way to a more angsty, desperate sound that may be considered more archetypally “La Dispute”, in the form of ANXIETY PANORAMA. This track is perhaps the best illustration of how the general atmosphere of the album allows more impact from the heavier tracks, in the melee of previous albums packed with heavy tracks their impact has at times felt diluted, yet here the desperation in Dreyer’s vocal delivery, supported by a heavier riff and a familiarly eclectic rhythm, comes across with heart-wrenching effect, as he describes his helplessness in his partner’s suffering.
This heavier moment again gives way to more subdued atmospheric tracks, IN NORTHERN MICHIGAN and VIEW FROM OUR BEDROOM WINDOW, where their musical artistry and subtlety comes to the fore. The latter of these two tracks is probably the most sonically diverse track on the album, offering a good summary of their musical development, evidencing again how they continue to break new ground while retaining their identity. FOOTSTEPS AT THE POND follows, and might be considered the second archetypally La Dispute track on the album, a welcome heaviness among the beauty of what precedes it, yet still flowing with the arc of the album.
Panorama concludes with perhaps the two most powerful tracks on the album. THERE YOU ARE (HIDING PLACE) sees Jordan Dreyer at his poetic best, with the guilt of the narrator palpable as the band gradually builds before a repeated melodic close which is mirrored by the opening of the final track, YOU ASCENDANT. Clocking in at over seven minutes, this departing track sees the band rejoice in their new musical terrain, utilising all of their expanding musical arsenal as the lyrical themes reach a conclusion, as the narrator offers to “release the flowers in the street” (recalling those described in FULTON STREET I), and attempt to end his partner’s grief. It is an emotional and provocative close and a reminder of why Dreyer must be considered one of the best storytellers in modern alternative music.
Far removed from their hardcore beginnings, Panorama sees La Dispute reach their full artistic potential with their most ambitious and complete album yet. The colourful and stylish imagery seen on the album cover and in the animated music videos is reflected by a beautiful musical experience, in an album that is at once emotionally haunting and dark, yet cinematic and beautiful in a way La Dispute has never achieved before. That perhaps is the finest description of what Panorama is for the band, an achievement, of originality in alternative music and of telling their stories in the most captivating manner possible. The band strived further than ever before, and their risks have paid off in droves.
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