Inside the Far

Thanks to years of dour bands, electro-industrial fans are conditioned to expect the melancholy. The Kansas City duo Inside the Far initially delivers. The promisingly titled track “Anger Spins the Empire” opens with ominous programmed percussion, tribal drumbeats and symphonic synthesizers, but when Michael Trinkler’s tame riffs and Christy Trinkler’s multitracked vocals appear at the one-minute mark, the song loses its mood and, with that, its intrigue. Lyrically, Inside the Far ranges from the hokey (Have the courage to live life and you will seize the sky) to the indecipherable (People who are antagonistic signs with haunting world hues), occasionally reaching out to touch faith (Lord, my serenity, give me clarity). Inside the Far built its own recording space (Celestial Studio), which might explain why it’s so enamored of all the tools at its disposal. But Spin works best when stripped to its simplest elements: strong rhythms, a central keyboard melody and Christy’s voice (without superfluous self-accompaniment).