Often, the music of veteran underground electronic collective Excepter sounds like the semi-accidental byproduct of a religious group ritual that's unfolding in real time. Individual members of the band will get stuck on laying down a beat or intoning strange words into mic or exploring the hidden sonic properties of a stick or a stone, and while there are moments that don't necessarily cohere, part of the fun is just watching the whole thing patiently unfold, allowing them to cast a spell and suck you into it. "Maids," the opening track of their upcoming Familiar LP, leaves the shamanistic aspect intact while pointing to a stripped-down, more melodically deliberate direction for the band. For one thing, it's the rare Excepter track that's actually a song, layering a single, modal vocal chant over a Kraftwerk-like foundation of bleating synths. Familiar is out sometime this year via Blast First Petite.
