Water Damage is ten people from one town and one sound from twelve people. For Instruments, the plus two are guitarist David Grubbs and saxophonist Patrick Shiroishi, neither of whom blunt the angle or confound the aim. The tempo? Slow and low. Four tracks, averaging twenty minutes each, the pace never above a comfortable walk.
The damage creeps, a forest becomes a mountain, and the faithful move forward. The album is named after Fugazi, in a manner, and "Reel 25" takes after the Shocklee Brothers, in a cry. Stop asking the lord how many drummers this band has and and ask him how much of your mind, babe. Some people say drone and same people say trance and some people say invocation through patterned unity. Some people just say rock and we let them set their clocks back. Lie down and let these holy treads flatten you. Just because Water Damage know what they are doing doesn't mean you have to. Fix your hearts or die! - Sasha Frere-Jones
WATER DAMAGE is Mari Maurice, Thor Harris, Jonathan Horne, Nate Cross, Danielle Hills, George Dishner, Travis Austin, Mike Kanin, Greg Piwonka and Jeff Piwonka.
