The Pack a.d.

we kill computers (Mint)

By Erin Lyndal Martin
Published: April 30th, 2010 | 7:00am

It may seem antithetical that a garage rock album can be inspired by an expansive voyage through the North American wilderness and reverence for the fauna within, yet the Pack a.d. attempt such a snarling Thoreauvian work on we kill computers. A departure from their blues-inspired previous releases (Tintype and Funeral Mixtape), we kill computers is full of guitar riffs and yelped vocals that might very well have the power to destroy an IBM or two. "We are animals aren't we?" "Crazy" asks, as its toe-tapping grunge begins to give insight into the album. The song, which features tributes to black ice, sharks, and seashells, is a filthy, lovely fauvist tableau that becomes a tribute to the primitive spirit in all creation.

The energy never wanes on we kill computers—this one's battery is fully charged—but there are a few tracks that threaten the cohesiveness of the album's theme, including "1880" and "B.C. Is on Fire," an unsuccessful attempt at a forest fire metaphor.

There are no palliative ballads on we kill computers, and there don't need to be when each track is so powerful. The only shame is the album can't consistently juggle a diverse sound and remain true to its theme of stark wilderness among the noise.

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