Desoto
2001
The Egg
About This Album
Shiner's The Egg is the sound of a band stretching itself between the opposite poles of melody and complexity, accessibility and nebulousness, and coming up with something entirely original and unheard of in the process. It's a concept album in the best sense of the word: It doesn't have a cheesy central theme per se, like disillusioned robots or mythical dragons, but it feels as if every song fits into one expansive puzzle, like the album already existed, just waiting for its creators to capture it on tape. Kansas City, MO's Shiner has long been at work in the underground rock trenches spreading the word of its angular, math-y post-rock. Since 1993, the band toured the nation tirelessly and put out three acclaimed full-lengths on independent labels, not to mention enduring several lineup changes. The Egg, however, feels like the album they have been waiting to make. For its fourth release, the group has finally solidified to include Allen Epley (vocals, guitar), Paul Malinowski (bass, backing vocals), Jason Gerken (drums), and Josh Newton (guitars, keyboards, noises). The members' talents mesh together so well, it seems impossible that this is their first complete album together.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,3,4 and 10)

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