Albums by this artist

Difference And Repetition (1999)

Metropolitan Then Poland (1997)

Minnie Greutzfeldt (1997)

Windsor For The Derby

Metropolitan Then Poland

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» JONATHAN COHEN | SENIOR EDITOR

Windsor For The Derby Metropolitan Then Poland Trance Syndicate, 1997 RiYL:

Windsor For The Derby quickly followed up the late spring 1997 release of its debut album Calm Hades Float with this five-song EP. Metropolitan Then Poland revels in an odd, spacey blend of "post-rock" minimalism fairly different from the styles found on the band's debut.

Album opener "Exposito" gets the head spinning with random pings and pongs bouncing around off-tempo kick drums. The mean "Slow Death" employs shiny guitar and drums and a quicker beat than any Calm Hades Float fare. But the song's sequel, dubbed "Slow Death Plus," is five minutes of pointless, crackling noise.

"Moving Florida" is the EP's weakest point, a poorly recorded live version that runs out of steam quickly. Luckily, "The Electric Co." sounds more like familiar WFTD, with a dropped-D tuning and a trio of finger-picked, swirling guitars as its guide.

There are some good ideas on Metropolitan Then Poland, but they don't translate as well as they did on the group's first record. Pick this up only after you've thoroughly investigated Calm Hades Float.

JONATHAN COHEN | Jonathan Cohen co-created Nude As The News with his Indiana University mates Troy Carpenter and Ben French. When not traversing the globe for business and pleasure, he holds down the fort as a senior editor for Billboard in New York. Stop him and he just may ask, "what for lunch?"