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**★★★★☆**

In the pantheon of late-90s post-hardcore, few bands managed to thread the needle between mathematical precision and emotional heft quite like Faraquet. The Washington D.C. trio's 2000 masterpiece "The View From This Tower" stands as a testament to what happens when punk rock grows up, gets a degree in music theory, and still remembers how to throw a proper tantrum.

Emerging from the ashes of Hoover – one of the District's most revered emo pioneers – guitarist/vocalist Devin Ocampo, bassist/vocalist Janet Morgan, and drummer Chad Molter had already proven their mettle in D.C.'s notoriously demanding hardcore scene. But where Hoover dealt in raw emotional catharsis, Faraquet represented evolution, a band willing to deconstruct their influences and rebuild them into something altogether more sophisticated. The trio spent the better part of the late '90s honing their craft, releasing a handful of singles and EPs that hinted at their potential while touring relentlessly through America's underground circuit.

"The View From This Tower" finds the band at their creative apex, delivering ten tracks of intricate, angular post-hardcore that feels both cerebral and visceral. This isn't the kind of music you put on for background ambience – every song demands attention, rewarding careful listeners with layers of complexity that reveal themselves over repeated spins. Faraquet's approach is deceptively mathematical, built on interlocking rhythms and unconventional time signatures that somehow never feel academic or cold.

The album opens with "Cut Self Not," a mission statement wrapped in jagged guitar lines and Morgan's distinctive bass work. Her four-string contributions throughout the record are particularly noteworthy – rather than simply holding down the low end, she weaves melodic counterpoints that often serve as the songs' harmonic backbone. Ocampo's guitar work is equally impressive, favouring texture and atmosphere over traditional power chords, creating a sound that's both heavy and spacious.

"Study in Movement" showcases the band's dynamic range, shifting from whispered verses to explosive choruses with the kind of precision that suggests countless hours of rehearsal. The interplay between Ocampo and Morgan's vocals – his more traditional punk bark contrasting with her ethereal harmonies – adds another layer of complexity to already dense arrangements. Meanwhile, Molter's drumming provides the perfect foundation, technical enough to match his bandmates' ambitions but never showy for its own sake.

The record's centerpiece, "Sea From Shore," might be the finest four minutes the band ever committed to tape. Built around a hypnotic bass line and featuring some of Ocampo's most emotionally direct lyrics, it demonstrates Faraquet's ability to marry intellectual rigor with genuine feeling. Similarly, "Carefully Planned" and "The Missing Piece" find the perfect balance between the band's more experimental impulses and their hardcore roots.

What sets "The View From This Tower" apart from its contemporaries is its restraint. In an era when many post-hardcore bands were pushing toward ever-greater extremes of volume and complexity, Faraquet understood the power of space and silence. Songs breathe, allowing individual elements room to develop and interact. The production, handled by the band themselves along with engineer Chad Clark, captures this perfectly – clean enough to highlight the intricate arrangements but retaining enough grit to maintain the music's emotional impact.

Sadly, "The View From This Tower" would prove to be Faraquet's swan song. The band dissolved shortly after its release, with members pursuing other projects and, in some cases, stepping away from music entirely. This has only enhanced the album's mystique, transforming it from merely excellent record into something approaching cult status among post-hardcore devotees.

In the two decades since its release, "The View From This Tower" has quietly influenced a generation of musicians working at the intersection of punk, math rock, and experimental music. Bands like Battles, Shellac, and even later Fugazi releases show traces of Faraquet's DNA. The album stands as proof that intelligence and emotion need not be mutually exclusive, that punk rock can grow and evolve without losing its essential spirit.

For those willing to invest the time and attention it demands, "The View From This Tower" remains a rewarding, occasionally transcendent listening experience – a high-water mark for a band that burned bright and brief in the D.C. underground.