Pitchfork

The conceit of this record-- mixing aggressive rock with dub reggae-- isn't new. Bad Brains were the first notable practitioners, inserting clean-toned dub between bouts of hardcore punk. Blind Idiot God were like if Bad Brains were white, instrumental, and played avant-garde metal. Fugazi's rhythm section had heavy dub influences. For the most part, though, these bands kept rock and dub separate. The innovation of Brooklyn's Dub Trio is mixing them within songs-- or more precisely, smashing them together.

Dub Trio arose out of Actual Proof, a drum'n'bass-inspired band of Berklee College of Music alumni. The members are in-demand session musicians, with credits including 50 Cent, Mos Def, the Fugees, and Common. Two studio albums on ROIR (which issued Bad Brains' legendary debut) led to a collaboration with professional collaborator Mike Patton, whose Ipecac imprint released this record.

Dub is about emptying space, while rock, to an extent, is about filling it up. Midrange is the contested territory, and Dub Trio negotiate it awkwardly. Most songs here abruptly toggle between rock and dub. "Agonist" begins as one-drop reggae with plaintive organ mutterings. However, it suddenly becomes fast, mid-1990s punk; one expects Bad Religion's Greg Graffin to start singing. Just as suddenly, it returns to dub. Three minutes later, punk drops in again, apropos of nothing. In "Regression Line", the band brilliantly recreates J Dilla's laidback kick-snare patterns, but the hip-hop feels airdropped into its Jesus Lizard-esque surroundings. "Safe and Sane" starts with an angry Pearl Jam riff, but cools down before settling into dub. Thankfully, the rock doesn't return-- so what was the point of it?

Pouring distortion into the midrange (rock) and then yanking it away (dub) can be fruitful, though. It creates tension, which Dub Trio sometimes finesse, between foreground and background. "The Midnight Rider" layers rock and dub in an uneasy simmer. Such coexistence creates cross-rhythms between guitars and dub echoes, which would otherwise merely dissipate. "Jog On" keeps its guitars at a muted roar, so that when it goes dub, the shift feels organic. "Felicitacion" feints rock, goes dub, then blossoms into beautifully gauzy, Mono-esque textures. Dub may be about space, but it's often merely cavernous; here, the song goes widescreen. However, it cruelly and suddenly dials the reverb back to zero, returning to cast-off Helmet riffs.

Dub Trio are a formidable dub unit. But as a rock band, they're only passable. This is not for lack of chops; in fact, they're almost too good. They're referencing the Big Dumb Rock of 90s Amphetamine Reptile and Touch and Go. But while they have the notes, they lack the attitude. Prime AmRep seethed in cauldrons of noise and feedback; this record has a clean, upfront recording. Mr. Bungle also genre-hopped, but Patton's vocals were a glue that this instrumental outfit lacks. (Patton does make a cameo in the nu-metal-esque "No Flag".) Dub Trio are on to something, but they've yet to fully grasp it.