Six Part Seven

Casually Smashed to Pieces (Suicide Squeeze)

By Jonathan Shipley
Published: February 25th, 2007 | 3:24pm

Before getting to the smooth-textured music of Six Parts Seven’s new album, check out the cover. There’s nothing cooler than a bad-ass Viking with a battle axe at the ready. So, you’re thinking as you glow at the cover, that the music on the CD is hard-rocking, rollicking tunes. Well, not quite. Not at all, actually. It’s a swell album from the boys of Kent, Ohio, a quiet instrumental album that’s short (it’ll take one as long to listen to the album as it’d take a Viking to shave his beard), sweet, and relaxing.

”Conversation Heart” starts things off, a somber reflecting slice of Americana with guitar strums and banjo pickings, like the soundtrack from a movie scene where two young lovers are kissing in the cab of a Ford pickup, twilight glinting off a Midwestern prairie. “Confusing Possibilities” is another quiet tune evoking a sense of melancholy before it builds with drums and trumpet.

Founded ten years ago by brothers Jay (drums) and Allen (guitar) Karpinski, their indie-rock vibe is similar to that of Brian Eno, Tortoise, and Sigur Rós and they’ve honed their craft, sharpened their sensibilities, weeded away the unnecessary, and distilled their talents into an album that showcases their skill and experience.

And, while yes, the album is a success, it doesn’t stand out as anything spectacular or groundbreaking. It’s good mood music. It’s a touching album — perhaps suited for a wedding reception while those in attendance find their seats for a prime rib dinner and loving toasts. The groomsman might not say, “Dude! You <I>have</I> to listen to these guys!” with champagne-fuzzy exuberance. But, maybe, champagne in hand, the groomsman will stop for a moment, turn to his date, and ask, “Are you listening to these guys? They’re pretty good.”