by Andy Kellman
Between Mitch Friedland's dazzling nylon-stringed guitar work and lyrics/vocals (duties shared by the guitarist and drummer, Jack Rabid) that resonate with all the world weariness of post-punk bands like the Sound and the Chameleons without any of the latter's chest-beating, there's plenty on Land Falls to distinguish Springhouse from the texture-heavy shoegaze bands of the early '90s. Unlike a good number of their predominantly U.K.-based peers, very rarely does the trio rely upon effects over ability to carry the material; both craft and execution are too strong to prove otherwise. Could it be any small coincidence that the record concludes with a song entitled &The Sound,& which just happens to be one of their brightest, most powerful moments? Perhaps.