9/10
Wichita’s premiere instrumental rock outfit returns with a release that full capitalizes on the promise and integrity the quintet has show since its formation a little over six years ago. Spirit of the Stairs’ strength lies in creating multi-textured transcendental compositions that spur the imagination while remaining rooted in genuine experience. Guitarists Zach Roach and Torin Andersen serve as music foils––Andersen’s dreamlike soundscapes lay the groundwork for Roach’s metallic boogie leads. While these styles might read as incongruent on the page or the computer screen, they travel a broad distance to intersect and coalesce into the well-wrought lines of “Noob Saibot,” the anthemic prog of “Go Hang Asalami” and the spacey sojourn of “Your Family Is Next.”
The guitar lines heard there and in the opening cut “9-11 Was Right” and the utterly jubilant “Jum Bennett Ramsey” are new but important entries in the already vast expanse of the guitar lexicon, recalling great dual guitar acts such as Discipline-era King Crimson and Metallica circa Master of Puppets––a supreme and divinely inspired collision of the regally defined and ridiculously heavy that wins your approval with enthusiasm because it never sought it in the first place.
But, as anyone who has seen this act live can attest, there is no weak link in Spirit of the Stairs––as evidenced by the dual drumming of Kody Ramsey and Kyle Hupp. Dual drum acts are still something of an anomaly in the rock world but the truly great ones are permanently etched in our minds and this one is certainly no exception. Hupp and Ramsey weave a time tapestry that serves as the engine of the band; their drumming is present at every twist and turn but is never distracting, overly busy, or competitive. And, given the density of the sonic landscape, that’s a feat.
More needs to be said of co-founder Josh Wilson’s bass playing which is unobtrusive but never invisible. His atmospheric lines lend an eerie and welcome unease to the aforementioned “Your Family Is Next,” while his playing on the heavier-than-a-really-heavy thing “Noob Saibot” is unmistakably meaty, muscular and indispensable, pointing out the definition and density that thoughtful bass playing can bring to a band and a composition.
Ultimately, Episodes demonstrates, as the band’s last two releases have, that Spirit of the Stairs is an unstoppable force, one that proves the instrumental rock genre is tireless and an important part of our collective sonic future. This is a record that never wears out its welcome from a band that, just over a half a decade into its career, is expanding its identity and paving the way into a new frontier. And, all the while, we follow, eager to see what’s next.––Jedd Beaudoin
