- Release Info -------------------------------------------------------------- -
Artist: Athletics
Album: Who You Are Is Not Enough
Label:
Playtime: 30:55 min
Genre: Rock
URL: http://www.facebook.com/athleticsmusic
Rip date: 2013-01-04
Street date: 2012-06-26
Size: 50.27 MB
Type: Normal
Quality: 215 kbps / 4410Hz / Joint Stereo
- Release Notes ------------------------------------------------------------- -
"Athletics are an ambient/indie/post-rock band from New Jersey who plays some
very interesting and emotive styles of airy drafts. With the release of their
second LP ôWho You Are Is Not Enoughö, we are taken through some personal and
relatable lyrics that touch on feelings of inadequacy and contempt. ôI am not
enough. IÆm not the demons in your lungs. And I am not enough to make amends
with life or love. All that was done, you have failed to capture usö are some
of the common lyrical passages you will come across which fits the music
cohesively. Persistent with its theme, the music is soft and fits mellow moods
quite well. At times youÆll hear the common post-rockÆesq tremolos that build
over a backdrop of soothing minimalistic synths and occasional electronic
reverse effects. The vocals fit very well and the use of soft sung moments
only adds to the emotions and whether the lyrics touch you or not, itÆs hard
to deny the important role they play in builds and crescendos. As in the intro
track, ôIö, the vocalist can be heard blending his voice from soft to a slight
yell/scream that parallels the build as distorted guitars jump in after
ambient layers progress.
The relatively short runtime of 30 minutes is well fitted as certain musical
aspects tend to reach sustainable heights without any other track attempting
to supersede the other. The runtime allows for the album to be more cohesive,
rather than drawn out track after tracks that goes nowhere, which I thought
was a smart choice for this type of music. The longest track ôIIö takes ôWho
You Are is Not Enoughö the furthest as the middle part seems like itÆs going
to end, but, well placed soft-melodic guitar licks are re-introduced which
allow for a type of progressive nature that lances the silence into a perfect
canvas. This allows the vocals and bass guitar to slowly build up to another
opportunity to fully impress the choral words of ôSpeak spoken love, offer
nothing from your heartö.
These common slow builds are ever present throughout ôWho You Are is Not
Enoughö. They feel like soft waves that one would feel while floating in a
calm ocean with occasional stronger swells that break the monotony. Track ôIVö
is a good example of this wavering formula but it also adds a bit of a tender
feel with staccato guitar plucks that at the same time, feel like it could be
raining above your head as your floating, buoyant, in a sea of emotions. The
closer ôVö follows the same suite but fully uses a piano that favors the
reducing-classical side and fits the whole story together as youÆre concluding
with the words of ôTime may heal the deepest wounds, but a severed limb is
gone for good. My love died with you. I should have died with you. I would
have died for you.ö This ending fully solidifies that this album is about the
loss of a loved one which IÆm sure we can all relate to in one way or another,
which also at the same time makes this album rather depressive and there are
no real words for hope or furtherance to balance out the melancholy.
ôWho You Are Is Not Enoughö never tries to be over the top or push musical
passages further than it needs to, rather, the mood and feel speaks for itself
and the emotions are where this album truly succeeds. The musical approach
could have been taken further to make this more enjoyable but at the same time
many will feel fully satisfied once theyÆve taken the journey from A-Z.
Athletics will be known for a band that truly is not afraid to express their
deepest inner thoughts as well as moving musical ideas that fit their
destinations perfectly."
- Track List ---------------------------------------------------------------- -
01. I ( 5:25)
02. II ( 9:15)
03. III ( 6:10)
04. IV ( 6:00)
05. V ( 4:05)
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