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Hey kidz,
Hope everyone is doing well. Here's your dose of Silber news
Shane Sauers of Rollerball has a session recording & interview of his project Miss Massive Snowflake you can check out at http://www.portlandmercury.com/podcasts/media/missmassivesnowflakeAG.mp3
Our good friend David Lawrence is writing comics again after a near twenty year hiatus:
"Influenced by 1970's film and literature, this biker-themed action thriller comic book is generating tremendous heat with feature film companies and gaming developers. The Hardballers follows the adventures of four vengeance-seeking, leather-clad women, thundering across the southern United States on a hurricane of chrome and steel.
Can you hear it? A rumble in the distance, growing louder, charging to an ever-deafening roar? That thunder you hear is the bellowing of motorcycle engines brought vividly to life in the pages of The Hardballers (http://www.thehardballers.com/) comic book debuting in Strutter Magazine (http://www.struttermagazine.com/) this summer."
"Influenced by 1970's film and literature, this biker-themed action thriller comic book is generating tremendous heat with feature film companies and gaming developers. The Hardballers follows the adventures of four vengeance-seeking, leather-clad women, thundering across the southern United States on a hurricane of chrome and steel.
Can you hear it? A rumble in the distance, growing louder, charging to an ever-deafening roar? That thunder you hear is the bellowing of motorcycle engines brought vividly to life in the pages of The Hardballers (http://www.thehardballers.com/) comic book debuting in Strutter Magazine (http://www.struttermagazine.com/) this summer."
Below are a some recent reviews.
hrt
Brian John Mitchell
Brian John Mitchell
VLOR: A FIRE IS MEANT FOR BURNING
Silber Media is a small explorative label that is designed to bring exposure to artists that view music differently than many do. Music will always be subjective to the listener. What one finds excellent, another may dislike intensely, and so it goes. Silber caters largely to ambience of various styles and is also home to ambient champs, Lycia.
Vlor is a makeup of various members of other bands, notably label attachments, Aarktica, Remora, Rivulets, Jessica Bailiff, and Lycia with A Fire Is Meant For Burning a collaborative guitar work amongst them. Vlor is a non-sequenced collection of experimental pieces that flesh together to entice those that appreciate off-track guitar background or a sit in a soft chair with headphones. There is charm in such music, which is clearly not for the Top 40 crowd but will likely attract certain fans of ambient, those that can go beyond the usual spacey or nature hike stuff.
The songs on this album vary in style, likely according to the influence of the various artists that brought the music piece to the table. It begins with a soft conversation between two acoustic guitars (“Trust In Weapons”); a more biting buzz saw approach (“Wires”); and winds its way to the Mike VanPorfleet (Lycia) involved, “Days Like Smoke,” clearly with recognizable VanPortfleet touches. Brian John Mitchell is the singular component that weaves through all twelve tracks of instrumentals.
A Fire Is Meant For Burning is meant to drift by.
~ Matt Rowe, Music Tap
Silber Media is a small explorative label that is designed to bring exposure to artists that view music differently than many do. Music will always be subjective to the listener. What one finds excellent, another may dislike intensely, and so it goes. Silber caters largely to ambience of various styles and is also home to ambient champs, Lycia.
Vlor is a makeup of various members of other bands, notably label attachments, Aarktica, Remora, Rivulets, Jessica Bailiff, and Lycia with A Fire Is Meant For Burning a collaborative guitar work amongst them. Vlor is a non-sequenced collection of experimental pieces that flesh together to entice those that appreciate off-track guitar background or a sit in a soft chair with headphones. There is charm in such music, which is clearly not for the Top 40 crowd but will likely attract certain fans of ambient, those that can go beyond the usual spacey or nature hike stuff.
The songs on this album vary in style, likely according to the influence of the various artists that brought the music piece to the table. It begins with a soft conversation between two acoustic guitars (“Trust In Weapons”); a more biting buzz saw approach (“Wires”); and winds its way to the Mike VanPorfleet (Lycia) involved, “Days Like Smoke,” clearly with recognizable VanPortfleet touches. Brian John Mitchell is the singular component that weaves through all twelve tracks of instrumentals.
A Fire Is Meant For Burning is meant to drift by.
~ Matt Rowe, Music Tap
Brian John Mitchell (the friendly chap who is behind the excellent Silber record label) decided to resurrect his old project Vlor which he started in 1992. Vlor had released a few EPs in the late 1990s, but has been dormant for a few years.
Instead of working as a duo as Brian previously had with Russell Halasz, he decided to record about ninety minutes of random riffs and arpeggios and send them off to his friends. The friends just happen to be a who’s who of the droney end of the underground. The folks he collaborated with are Jon Derosa (Aarktica), Mike Van PortFleet (Lycia), Nathan Amudson (Riverlets), Jessica Baliff, Jesse Edwards (Red Morning Chorus) & Paulo Messere (6 PM). With so many cooks in the kitchen, this might have turned into a sonic mess. Surprisingly, it sounds wonderfully organic. The collaborators really don’t draw attention to themselves. They only add to the expansive whole.
The first track “Trust in Weapons” really reminds me of Mick Turner’s (of the Dirty 3) solo album Moth. Like Mick, Brian uses simple, at times endearingly fumbling guitar line loops that he plays off of to build more complex sounds. “Wire” has a claustrophobic rockist sound. “Weakening” feels wistful with weeping guitar lines cascading over one another.
Out of all the collaborators, the star that shines the brightest is Jessica Bailiff. Her gorgeous vocals are stunning on the too short “Suncatcher.” Over the entirety of this mostly melancholy disc there are shifts and surprises that make repeated listening most enjoyable.
~ Dan Cohoon, Amplitude Equals One Over Frequency Squared
Instead of working as a duo as Brian previously had with Russell Halasz, he decided to record about ninety minutes of random riffs and arpeggios and send them off to his friends. The friends just happen to be a who’s who of the droney end of the underground. The folks he collaborated with are Jon Derosa (Aarktica), Mike Van PortFleet (Lycia), Nathan Amudson (Riverlets), Jessica Baliff, Jesse Edwards (Red Morning Chorus) & Paulo Messere (6 PM). With so many cooks in the kitchen, this might have turned into a sonic mess. Surprisingly, it sounds wonderfully organic. The collaborators really don’t draw attention to themselves. They only add to the expansive whole.
The first track “Trust in Weapons” really reminds me of Mick Turner’s (of the Dirty 3) solo album Moth. Like Mick, Brian uses simple, at times endearingly fumbling guitar line loops that he plays off of to build more complex sounds. “Wire” has a claustrophobic rockist sound. “Weakening” feels wistful with weeping guitar lines cascading over one another.
Out of all the collaborators, the star that shines the brightest is Jessica Bailiff. Her gorgeous vocals are stunning on the too short “Suncatcher.” Over the entirety of this mostly melancholy disc there are shifts and surprises that make repeated listening most enjoyable.
~ Dan Cohoon, Amplitude Equals One Over Frequency Squared
While Mitchell was working on archiving out of print releases for Silber he realised that what he loved and missed about Vlor was the excitement and freedom of music made with friends. He recorded ninety minutes of initial guitar riffs and arpeggios and send them to several friends for completion of the songs.
“a fire is meant for burning” is the result of this cooperation, a melancholic and rustic Post- Rock album. While listening names like Bardo Pond, A Minor forest, Doldrums and Labradford came through my mind. Some songs has quite minimal arrangements while others, like “wires” are richly orchestrated. “Houses not homes” is even almost a rock song in Sonic youth style and is one of the most powerful songs on this album. In “Suncatcher” Jessica Bailiff is singing and makes it to a nice fragile song. Also Mike vanPortfleet (Lycia) makes his contribution and adds his trademarked harmonium guitar parts in ”Days like smoke”. Jesse Edwards ( Red Morning Chorus) is responsible for the percussion on this record, He adds a variety of Indian instruments and hand percussion.
All these ingredients makes this an album worthwhile listening to, the tracks are diverse of mood and input, some are quiet some are rough and some are beautifully arranged and others are naked. Maybe it is not a fantastic album and also a little dated, but for people who are into Post-Rock this is still an interesting album and for people who are not but like guitar music, they absolutely should check this out.
~ Remco, Gothtronic
“a fire is meant for burning” is the result of this cooperation, a melancholic and rustic Post- Rock album. While listening names like Bardo Pond, A Minor forest, Doldrums and Labradford came through my mind. Some songs has quite minimal arrangements while others, like “wires” are richly orchestrated. “Houses not homes” is even almost a rock song in Sonic youth style and is one of the most powerful songs on this album. In “Suncatcher” Jessica Bailiff is singing and makes it to a nice fragile song. Also Mike vanPortfleet (Lycia) makes his contribution and adds his trademarked harmonium guitar parts in ”Days like smoke”. Jesse Edwards ( Red Morning Chorus) is responsible for the percussion on this record, He adds a variety of Indian instruments and hand percussion.
All these ingredients makes this an album worthwhile listening to, the tracks are diverse of mood and input, some are quiet some are rough and some are beautifully arranged and others are naked. Maybe it is not a fantastic album and also a little dated, but for people who are into Post-Rock this is still an interesting album and for people who are not but like guitar music, they absolutely should check this out.
~ Remco, Gothtronic
ALAN SPARHAWK: SOLO GUITAR
The basic name of this disc is deceiving. While it does accurately describe the activity on the disc, it fails to capture the complex and spacious sounds produced by the solo guitar of Alan Sparhawk.
For those not in the know Sparhawk is also a member of the aptly named band Low. While some of these tracks are minimal, many have a harsher edge to them. The guitar work inhabits the middle ground between Loren MazzaCane Connors’ harshest work and Kieji Hanio’s most plaintive.
The music is made with a solo guitar with the aid of looping pedals and delays that build up to complex and dense sounds. On “Sargrado Corazón de Jesú,” the guitar is at first plucked. Then, the strings or body of the guitar is rubbed to make a barely audible hum. Over that more aggressive and distorted guitar lines are added. Following that, there is a loop of the guitar slowly being strummed, while more dissonant and desperate guitar lines explode out of the amplifier into what sounds like a cavernous hall. The track ends with gentle waves of feedback rippling across the surface before it ends abruptly at the 13 and a half minute mark with a hum that slowly fades out.
Alan proves, despite the dour sound of most of the record, that he does not totally lack a sense of humor. One example can be found in the title of the short piece “Eruption by Eddie Van Halen.” It starts out with some morosely bent notes before the aforementioned Eddie Van Halen eruption. If the song was not called, “Eruption by Eddie Van Halen” the explosion of quick guitar licks might come as a surprise.
“How it ends” closes the album. It is short--just a couple of repeated guitar lines. The song concludes before it can be resolved into anything. The abruptness of the ending leaves the listener wanting more.
~ Dan Cohoon, Amplitude Equals One Over Frequency Squared
The basic name of this disc is deceiving. While it does accurately describe the activity on the disc, it fails to capture the complex and spacious sounds produced by the solo guitar of Alan Sparhawk.
For those not in the know Sparhawk is also a member of the aptly named band Low. While some of these tracks are minimal, many have a harsher edge to them. The guitar work inhabits the middle ground between Loren MazzaCane Connors’ harshest work and Kieji Hanio’s most plaintive.
The music is made with a solo guitar with the aid of looping pedals and delays that build up to complex and dense sounds. On “Sargrado Corazón de Jesú,” the guitar is at first plucked. Then, the strings or body of the guitar is rubbed to make a barely audible hum. Over that more aggressive and distorted guitar lines are added. Following that, there is a loop of the guitar slowly being strummed, while more dissonant and desperate guitar lines explode out of the amplifier into what sounds like a cavernous hall. The track ends with gentle waves of feedback rippling across the surface before it ends abruptly at the 13 and a half minute mark with a hum that slowly fades out.
Alan proves, despite the dour sound of most of the record, that he does not totally lack a sense of humor. One example can be found in the title of the short piece “Eruption by Eddie Van Halen.” It starts out with some morosely bent notes before the aforementioned Eddie Van Halen eruption. If the song was not called, “Eruption by Eddie Van Halen” the explosion of quick guitar licks might come as a surprise.
“How it ends” closes the album. It is short--just a couple of repeated guitar lines. The song concludes before it can be resolved into anything. The abruptness of the ending leaves the listener wanting more.
~ Dan Cohoon, Amplitude Equals One Over Frequency Squared
Alan Sparhawk, guitar aficionado and slow-core genius, has released his own full-length solo disc. This disc is nothing like what I have heard him do before. Unlike his other projects, Black-Eyed Snakes or Retribution Gospel Choir, this album is stripped down, only guitar work. Even more minimalistic than Low, Sparhawk uses noise and crafts drones through his guitar and nothing else. There is no percussion of any sort. There is only the guitar, some loops, and spontaneous composition.
“How the Weather Comes Over the Central Hillside” begins the disc and briefly introduces what is to come. The guitars ebb and flow through the speakers, creating a thunderous drone that waves and undulates. This brief track leads one into an even briefer track, “Sagrado Corazon De Jesu (First Attempt).” This appx one minute track gives a brief melody and displays some of the beautiful reverb that will be used on later tracks. Ethereal and dreamy, this track is just right and beautiful. It’s follow up, “Sagrado Corazon De Jesu (Second Attempt)” clocks in at 13:26. It begins with low volume and Sparhawk’s signature guitar sound that rings through the speakers. Patient and careful, the guitar comes in and fades to quiet. A very low small rumble sits down in the mix as the guitar pops and blurts. A Spanish twinge comes through the guitar line that devolves into fuzzy walls of sound. The guitar layers sparkle and Sparhawk dots the landscape with crying guitar lines that weep and cry out. The volume slowly builds as the guitars roar and the river of drone becomes more of a torrent. The volume and drone eventually level out and the pulse begins to repeat over and over. It’s almost soothing; yet, there is some angst in there as well. It’s certainly a gorgeous layered affect that entrances the listener and brings them into Sparhawk’s dreamy world.
“How a Freighter Comes into the Harbor” begins with what sounds like a fog horn. The guitar rings and then goes quiet. Silence is certainly not an issue for Sparhawk. He does not shy away from what many American’s are uncomfortable with. He then adds a tempo with what sounds like tapping of a guitar. Notes are played over this ticking drone and the low level of the volume just makes it serene at this point. A feedback type ring cuts through the quiet as a low hum punctuates the landscape and metallic sounds lay underneath. As this 17 minute track progresses, wind sounds move through the ambience and the volume continues to rise at a slow, steady pace. A low guitar line interrupts the drones with dissonance and volume, perhaps signaling frustration in the midst of contemplation. The mood becomes spacey as the layers begin to mesh and meld together. Grinding metallic sounds eventually piece the hypnotic drone and create a very irritating sound, pulling the listener out of their hypnotic state. Exploding sounds sit under the metallic sounds as Sparkhawk bangs on his guitar. This devolves into sound and noise that is chaotic and explosive.
“How the Weather Hits the Freighter” has swirling repetitive guitars that are high in volume and fuzz out into drone heaven. I gather that this depicts the relentless weather hitting a boat as it pulls into a tumultuous harbor. This transitions into “…In the Harbor.” With the boat safe home, Sparhawk plays a very brief lumbering piece. Perhaps the size of the vessel insists on its slow, lumbering pace. “How the Engine Room Sounds” is a ruckus, as one would expect. The sounds of the guitar mimic the pistons of the engine as higher pitch noises dot the landscape, perhaps mimicking the engineers’ cries to one another. The hum from the amp and feedback fill a quiet moment in the composition. Silence once again comes up in the mix and the engine begins again, but at a much quieter level. “Eruption by Eddie Van Halen,” begins with a simple, quiet guitar line fading in and out of the silence. Eventually silence, then the Sparhawk starts to rip Van Halen style. Of course, his style is dirtier than Eddie’s. Lastly, “How it Ends” rounds out the disc and it begins with beautifully shimmering guitar. The tone is lovely and the song quiet and calm. This fades out an then the disc is finished.
Alan Sparhawk has crafted an emotive piece that is experimental and raw. Ok, so this isn’t for everyone on the planet, but it’s refreshing. All in all, the tones and guitar lines are certainly signature Sparhawk, but he does many things new with his instrument on this disc. The drones and fuzz are beautiful and the volume control brilliant. I hope all will give this disc a listen more than once and soak in what Sparhawk has accomplished.
~ Jason Lamoreaux, Somewhere Cold
“How the Weather Comes Over the Central Hillside” begins the disc and briefly introduces what is to come. The guitars ebb and flow through the speakers, creating a thunderous drone that waves and undulates. This brief track leads one into an even briefer track, “Sagrado Corazon De Jesu (First Attempt).” This appx one minute track gives a brief melody and displays some of the beautiful reverb that will be used on later tracks. Ethereal and dreamy, this track is just right and beautiful. It’s follow up, “Sagrado Corazon De Jesu (Second Attempt)” clocks in at 13:26. It begins with low volume and Sparhawk’s signature guitar sound that rings through the speakers. Patient and careful, the guitar comes in and fades to quiet. A very low small rumble sits down in the mix as the guitar pops and blurts. A Spanish twinge comes through the guitar line that devolves into fuzzy walls of sound. The guitar layers sparkle and Sparhawk dots the landscape with crying guitar lines that weep and cry out. The volume slowly builds as the guitars roar and the river of drone becomes more of a torrent. The volume and drone eventually level out and the pulse begins to repeat over and over. It’s almost soothing; yet, there is some angst in there as well. It’s certainly a gorgeous layered affect that entrances the listener and brings them into Sparhawk’s dreamy world.
“How a Freighter Comes into the Harbor” begins with what sounds like a fog horn. The guitar rings and then goes quiet. Silence is certainly not an issue for Sparhawk. He does not shy away from what many American’s are uncomfortable with. He then adds a tempo with what sounds like tapping of a guitar. Notes are played over this ticking drone and the low level of the volume just makes it serene at this point. A feedback type ring cuts through the quiet as a low hum punctuates the landscape and metallic sounds lay underneath. As this 17 minute track progresses, wind sounds move through the ambience and the volume continues to rise at a slow, steady pace. A low guitar line interrupts the drones with dissonance and volume, perhaps signaling frustration in the midst of contemplation. The mood becomes spacey as the layers begin to mesh and meld together. Grinding metallic sounds eventually piece the hypnotic drone and create a very irritating sound, pulling the listener out of their hypnotic state. Exploding sounds sit under the metallic sounds as Sparkhawk bangs on his guitar. This devolves into sound and noise that is chaotic and explosive.
“How the Weather Hits the Freighter” has swirling repetitive guitars that are high in volume and fuzz out into drone heaven. I gather that this depicts the relentless weather hitting a boat as it pulls into a tumultuous harbor. This transitions into “…In the Harbor.” With the boat safe home, Sparhawk plays a very brief lumbering piece. Perhaps the size of the vessel insists on its slow, lumbering pace. “How the Engine Room Sounds” is a ruckus, as one would expect. The sounds of the guitar mimic the pistons of the engine as higher pitch noises dot the landscape, perhaps mimicking the engineers’ cries to one another. The hum from the amp and feedback fill a quiet moment in the composition. Silence once again comes up in the mix and the engine begins again, but at a much quieter level. “Eruption by Eddie Van Halen,” begins with a simple, quiet guitar line fading in and out of the silence. Eventually silence, then the Sparhawk starts to rip Van Halen style. Of course, his style is dirtier than Eddie’s. Lastly, “How it Ends” rounds out the disc and it begins with beautifully shimmering guitar. The tone is lovely and the song quiet and calm. This fades out an then the disc is finished.
Alan Sparhawk has crafted an emotive piece that is experimental and raw. Ok, so this isn’t for everyone on the planet, but it’s refreshing. All in all, the tones and guitar lines are certainly signature Sparhawk, but he does many things new with his instrument on this disc. The drones and fuzz are beautiful and the volume control brilliant. I hope all will give this disc a listen more than once and soak in what Sparhawk has accomplished.
~ Jason Lamoreaux, Somewhere Cold
LYCIA: THE BURNING CIRCLE AND THEN DUST
Silber Records has released their second installment in the re-release of Lycia’s catalog. The Burning Circle and Then Dust, originally released in 1995 as a double album, has been released in 2006 as a single album, returning the disc to the original vision of Mike VanPortfleet. This band’s long career ended in 1999, when recording sessions unraveled. As Silber continues to re-release their albums, the progression and change of their sound will become more and more obvious.
“A Presence in the Woods” starts of this 18 track disc with dark walls of sound and mid-tempo drums that are stripped down and serve to move the track through the ethereal guitar. VanPortfleet provides vox on this track. His vocals are breathy and very gothic. For me, they are a bit over the top. “Wandering Soul” begins with Slowdive style walls of sound and features VanPortfleet in a less dramatic light. This is a darkwave track pulses along, with gloomy singing and minor key walls of sound. The instrumentation is beautiful and lush. “The Dust Settles (Part 1)” is a bit of an interlude that is instrumental warbles into both speakers, painting ethereal landscapes. This leads into “Sleepless,” which has BanPortfleet at the vocal helm again as his voice sits amidst the swirling guitars. The track is slow tempo, giving it an almost sluggish feel, pulling the listener in. This is followed by “The Dust Settles (Part 2)” which gives the previous track’s music a more powerful mix, with more guitars and bass in the mix.
“The Return of Nothing” begins with pumping drums and is joined by bass and synth voices that float around. Again VanPortfleet sings in that over the top, posturing sort of gothic way. I guess it’s a style that I don’t particularly care for and don’t hear much anymore. The music is beautiful, as it is throughout the entire disc, I just wish that the vocals were absent on the majority of the songs. “The Dust Settles (Part 3)” is another great interlude. Guitars soar as the last interlude sets up the listener for the rest of the album. This is the longest of the three and is a wonderful instrumental piece. “Pray” begins with an eighties feel, with toms beating and OMD style keys mixed with great guitar work. VanPortfleet sings in a fashion that harkens back to My Bloody Valentine. The posturing is gone and he is just allowing his voice to come through, which is fantastic. This track really blows me away and I wish the rest of the disc was on this level.
“On the Horizon” has acoustic guitar over soaring notes sitting on percussion and flowing drones. This is a lush instrumental that also is what I would have loved from the rest of the previous tracks. “Where Has All the Time Gone” is a slow tempo tune that has wonderful vocals again. Sounding like the frontman to the Psychedelic Furs, VanPortfleet brings a familiar nostalgia in the mix of Slowdive style guitars. “Silence and Distance” has an ominous feel to it, bring in darker elements, but this is also one of the instrumentals that I really like on this disc. Lycia has the ability to communicate so much emotively through simply leaving words out and allowing their music to speak for itself. “Nine Hours Later” is another favorite track of mine. Boarding on a danceable darkwave, this track has its mix of pumping drums ala New Order with shoegaze guitars. Sixteen tracks into the disc, Tara VanFlower finally makes an appearance. Her angelic vocals echo amidst layers and layers of keys and piano. This song is beautiful and VanFlower makes it deep and airy. “Resigned” is a minimalistic ambient piece that is so gorgeous. Its melancholy soundscape is impressive in its simplicity. This explodes into a louder rendition with the vox deep in the mix. “Surrender” is approximately the same track as “Resigned” with VanFlower adding her ethereal vocals to the mix, which is turned up and more up front in the this final track.
For me, this album was a bit imbalanced, and I mean a bit. I like it for the most part. I only have a few things that would have made the experience much better. VanFlower would have brought something to the many of songs that VanPortfleet seemed to lack. Also, the front of the disc is far weaker then the second two-thirds. That said, this disc is far better and much more mature than Estrella.
~ Jason Lamoreaux, Somewhere Cold
Silber Records has released their second installment in the re-release of Lycia’s catalog. The Burning Circle and Then Dust, originally released in 1995 as a double album, has been released in 2006 as a single album, returning the disc to the original vision of Mike VanPortfleet. This band’s long career ended in 1999, when recording sessions unraveled. As Silber continues to re-release their albums, the progression and change of their sound will become more and more obvious.
“A Presence in the Woods” starts of this 18 track disc with dark walls of sound and mid-tempo drums that are stripped down and serve to move the track through the ethereal guitar. VanPortfleet provides vox on this track. His vocals are breathy and very gothic. For me, they are a bit over the top. “Wandering Soul” begins with Slowdive style walls of sound and features VanPortfleet in a less dramatic light. This is a darkwave track pulses along, with gloomy singing and minor key walls of sound. The instrumentation is beautiful and lush. “The Dust Settles (Part 1)” is a bit of an interlude that is instrumental warbles into both speakers, painting ethereal landscapes. This leads into “Sleepless,” which has BanPortfleet at the vocal helm again as his voice sits amidst the swirling guitars. The track is slow tempo, giving it an almost sluggish feel, pulling the listener in. This is followed by “The Dust Settles (Part 2)” which gives the previous track’s music a more powerful mix, with more guitars and bass in the mix.
“The Return of Nothing” begins with pumping drums and is joined by bass and synth voices that float around. Again VanPortfleet sings in that over the top, posturing sort of gothic way. I guess it’s a style that I don’t particularly care for and don’t hear much anymore. The music is beautiful, as it is throughout the entire disc, I just wish that the vocals were absent on the majority of the songs. “The Dust Settles (Part 3)” is another great interlude. Guitars soar as the last interlude sets up the listener for the rest of the album. This is the longest of the three and is a wonderful instrumental piece. “Pray” begins with an eighties feel, with toms beating and OMD style keys mixed with great guitar work. VanPortfleet sings in a fashion that harkens back to My Bloody Valentine. The posturing is gone and he is just allowing his voice to come through, which is fantastic. This track really blows me away and I wish the rest of the disc was on this level.
“On the Horizon” has acoustic guitar over soaring notes sitting on percussion and flowing drones. This is a lush instrumental that also is what I would have loved from the rest of the previous tracks. “Where Has All the Time Gone” is a slow tempo tune that has wonderful vocals again. Sounding like the frontman to the Psychedelic Furs, VanPortfleet brings a familiar nostalgia in the mix of Slowdive style guitars. “Silence and Distance” has an ominous feel to it, bring in darker elements, but this is also one of the instrumentals that I really like on this disc. Lycia has the ability to communicate so much emotively through simply leaving words out and allowing their music to speak for itself. “Nine Hours Later” is another favorite track of mine. Boarding on a danceable darkwave, this track has its mix of pumping drums ala New Order with shoegaze guitars. Sixteen tracks into the disc, Tara VanFlower finally makes an appearance. Her angelic vocals echo amidst layers and layers of keys and piano. This song is beautiful and VanFlower makes it deep and airy. “Resigned” is a minimalistic ambient piece that is so gorgeous. Its melancholy soundscape is impressive in its simplicity. This explodes into a louder rendition with the vox deep in the mix. “Surrender” is approximately the same track as “Resigned” with VanFlower adding her ethereal vocals to the mix, which is turned up and more up front in the this final track.
For me, this album was a bit imbalanced, and I mean a bit. I like it for the most part. I only have a few things that would have made the experience much better. VanFlower would have brought something to the many of songs that VanPortfleet seemed to lack. Also, the front of the disc is far weaker then the second two-thirds. That said, this disc is far better and much more mature than Estrella.
~ Jason Lamoreaux, Somewhere Cold
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