Atvin - Interiors - Secretly Canadian

Review by: Dave Morgan

Ativin are a (mostly) instrumental rock band from Indiana that has been inactive since 1999 while mainstays Dan Burton and Chris Carothers pursued other endeavors (among them Burton's Early Day Miners.) Interiors is their first release since 1999's Summing the Approach EP (also on Secretly Canadian.)

On Interiors, they play some rather low-key instrumental rock. They are reminiscent of Paul Newman but without the noise rock that the Newmans sometimes interrupt their mathy instrumentals with. There is maybe something in common here with newer Unwound minus the vocals and wonderful bass playing of Vern Rumsey.

Clean dual guitars and/or baritone guitars dig into repetitive phrases and stay there for the most part on this record. Drums drop in and out. The songs can become hypnotic.

They change things up on a couple of songs by including faint vocals and an occasional viola and cello. This works to great effect on the best songs here, "Underwater" and "Dead Horses."

Is this the most inventive music ever? No, but it is a good solid record if not entirely engaging all the time.

Read where Secretly Canadian got their name from here.