Monday, September 1, 2008

losing today

two lovely reviews by losing today - one for the moon & one for ascent of everest.
mark's such an excellent writer, he could probably make politicians seem human...but what a waste.
many thanks mark, for the reviews and for not using your considerable skills to further the dark side!
here they be:

we all inherit the moon
be fair warned those brave enough to venture here may well require counselling or at the very least a re-assuring arm around their shoulder and someone promising that everything will be alright. Hell we’ve bawled ourselves dry throughout the three showcased tracks of this the debut self titled mini full length (5 tracks in case you are asking titled ’part I.….part V’) from the shy eyed trio known as we all inherit the moon. Limited to just 500 vinyl copies and apparently by all accounts a thing of visual beauty featuring as it does exceptional art work, inserts and the kind of attention to packaging detail that these days sadly seems like a dying trade. Anyhow before we go off in search of a copy of our own and earmark it for an immediate full review then I feel a deserved word or two is called for. Measured and elegantly poised We All Inherit the Moon craft out the most alluring of fragile snow globed montages that we’ve had the pleasure of hearing in such a long while. Introspective and delicate the twinkle some ’part 1’ is a sparsely speckled humbling experience of pining pirouettes and sleepy headed collages all rested upon a bed of skittering beats and all trained with a classical eye not so dissimilar it has to be said to the more mellower inclines of Inch Time. With its beautifully conceived Satie like piano braids the frosted ’part IV’ offers a refined slice of intimate sophistication that gently swells and falls edging itself with ease past your defences only to thaw and blossom momentarily before softly reclining into the ether. Best of the set though without question is the lulling lullaby-esque ’part III’ - a wide screen lunatic suite gliding serenely through the voids peppered daintily by chiming corteges and no doubt made of the same stuff that holds the stars aloft in the night sky. Arresting in a word.



the ascent of everest
six piece hailing from Nashville, Tennessee who to date already have one full length tucked under their collective jumpers in the shape of ‘how lonely sit’s the city’ which if these three showcasing cuts are anything to judge by should be elevated up the wants list of any self respecting fan of brooding come epic post rock orchestrating. Nods aplenty to early Godspeed and classic era Constellation and Kranky releases, there’s no refuting that the excellently named the Ascent of Everest know a thing or two about crafting jaw dropping emotionally ravaged symphonies, ‘alas alas the breath of life’ is a hulking babe that within it arcing stately framing has the ability to drag you across a whole spectrum of emotions as it traverses from its lazy eyed string swept noire like slumber to slowly build in texture, density and mass into an all consuming tear welling journey’s end / home coming crescendo that sadly abruptly ends just as things are veering into turbulent fractures. By contrast the effects pedal laden ’as the city burns’ starts turbulently and then settles down to unwind amid lulling atmospherics daintily decorated by the wintry hue of twinkling bells, violins and cellos before unexpectedly being pierced by a celestial ceremony of stratospheric riff arpeggios before receding to simmer only to repeat the process only this time to greater and more volcanic effect - think of a super charged Set Fire to Flames. Last of the trio ’molotov’ - perhaps the best moment here and where the godspeed references are most realised is beautifully decoded in a classically refined sheen, all at once tender and poised the melodies achingly swirl to arc and caress delicately slowly gathering momentum as the showers of cloud parting feedback momentarily rise in heaven bound halos to entwine with the guide lighting violins before dissipating into hiding. Momentous stuff.