-=- SHGZ -=-
* Shoegaze * Indie * Post-rock * Grunge * Dream Pop * Ambient * Ethereal *
Artist..: Cecilia::Eyes
Album...: Disappearance
GENRE....: Rock
STYLE....: Post Rock
LABEL....: Depot 214 SCENE.....: 2015-02-01
BITRATE..: 795 kbps avg STORE.....: 2014-05-12
ENCODER..: FLAC 1.2.1 -8 -V TRACKS....: 7
SIZE.....: 312.7MB SOURCE....: CD
URL..: http://www.ceciliaeyes.be/
- TRACKLIST
1 Bellflowers 8:22
2 Lord Howe Rise 7:41
3 Loreta 6:30
4 Swallow the Key 6:17
5 Default Descent 9:35
6 Isolated Shower 9:21
7 Reign 6:39
Total Playtime: 54:25
Today, it seems quite hard to find a really good underground post-rock band,
as post-rock is a genre that includes a number of bands that sound the same.
The structure of such bandsÆ songs seems to be settled as well: quiet part û
loud part û quiet part û loud part û quiet part û super loud part. No longer
are they letting the songs flow and allowing them to develop from a whistle
to a roaring thunder. Is it really that depressing? Is post-rock on its
downfall? Well, apparently, cecilia::eyes prove everything aforesaid wrong.
Their new album ôDisappearanceö is denying every bad thing I wrote about
post-rock before. This Belgian band consisting of Christophe Thys, Mike
Colart and Gauthier Vilain on guitars, Xavier Waerenburgh (currently replaced
by Nicolas Denis) on drums and keyboard, Pascal Thys on bass and Arnaud
Bailly as a sound engineer is a perfect example of a breath of fresh air in
creation of soundscapes.
To begin with, some time ago I became annoyed by some bands that are being
referred to as post-rock for their lack of innovation and repeating of
standards set by bigger bands like Explosions in the Sky or God Is An
Astronaut. IÆm not saying that I donÆt like EITS or GIAA, but listening to
loads of music that sound like them is surely not a pleasurable activity.
Cecilia::eyes are not this kind of band. Yes, they are instrumental, like
most post-rock bands, and they do use lots of effects and pedals (especially
delays!), like clichΘ post-rockers do, but they do it differently. Their goal
is not to overdo a delayed guitar plunking, but to increase the tension
slowly minute by minute. Therefore, structure of songs is one of the most
remarkable things that make this album special.
ôDisappearanceö contains seven compositions that can be compared to seven
rivers û they just flow. Just like rivers, they have the points in which we
can drift calmly with the mild current, but also the points when we are
overwhelmed by its power and have nothing to do but to give into it. Just
like in nature, the transition between these bipolar points is gradual and
smooth. We almost cannot feel the current of the sound as it slowly overtakes
us, allowing us to drown in harmonies. As the river consists of a single
stream, songs on ôDisappearanceö are usually based on one theme, to which
numerous tributaries are flowing in. There are no sudden transitions from
quiet to loud, instead, musical motives are slowly developed by adding more
and more sounds, until creating a dense wall of sound in the end. As for me,
such composition has a much bigger impact on the listener, as it requires
lots of focus and attention. In this way also, ôDisappearanceö can be
listened to in two ways: either as a background, filling the space, or with
full focus of the listener, which can get him into meditative altered states
and cut him away from reality. The album is significantly coherent which
increases its meditative qualities. Cecilia::eyes get their inspiration not
only from post-rock. Actually, you can hear more ambient, shoegaze and even
drone in their music. This eclecticism as well as skillful mixing of the
genres defines the album and its uniqueness among others.
Cecilia::eyes is an experienced band, functioning on the underground stage
since 2004. Therefore, their instrumentation is more sophisticated. They use
electronic sounds very keenly and very successfully. This is the backbone of
bandÆs spacious vibe, which can be compared to recent This Will Destroy YouÆs
sound on ôTunnel Blanketö. On the basis of electronic background, three
guitarists lay their tracks. Having three instruments of the same kind
creates a risk that some tracks might be unnecessarily added. Cecilia::eyes,
however, manage to use every guitar on record in a way that makes each of
them sound as an integral and necessary part of songs. The best example of
this, and also my top song on this record is ôLoretaö. The rhythm section
fulfills its task perfectly, enveloping guitarists with a smooth, yet
decisive framing, and not allowing songs to fly away into space. Bass is very
minimal and limited only to necessary sounds (sometimes even a single sound
over the whole song like in ôSwallow the Keyö), however it does its job
properly. Drumming, being limited as well, corresponds to bass very well.
Each instrument used on the album has its place and is perfectly heard,
making a listener not miss any sound, which makes ôDisappearanceö a
masterpiece of production.
Being Cecilia::eyesÆs fourth album, ôDisappearanceö is a proof that post-rock
can still be fresh, surprising and innovative. Cecilia::eyes avoided being
enclosed into post-rock clichΘs by experimenting with a number of similar
genres. ôDisappearanceö is packed with feelings: from anxiety to beauty, from
insecurity to enlightment. With this album cecilia::eyes present their
maturity as a band. ôDisappearanceö is another level of development of their
quite specific style. I can only hope that there will be more such levels in
the future.
*
The last time I heard from Cecilia::eyes, it was on the æhere dead we lieÆ LP,
released all the way back in 2010. Four long years have passed since that
wonderful record graced my desk and yet, as I predicted, itÆs an album IÆve
been more than happy to return to time and again thanks to the varied and
intelligent music that lies within. A new album from the band, then, is
reason enough to celebrate and on æDisappearanceÆ, Cecilia::eyes return with
seven more tracks of mysterious and engaging post rock.
Opening with the slow-burning, eight minute æBellflowersÆ, Cecilia eyes
gently set the scene with layer after layer of shimmering guitar. ItÆs a
cinematic sound the band create, lurking somewhere between the soundtrack
work of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross and Sigur Ros, and it benefits from a
rich, warm production job (courtesy of Joel Grignard) that allows the
achingly beautiful music to emerge from the speakers with the subtle clarity
it deserves. A band who prefer to do things in their own time frame or not at
all, Cecilia::eyes build the track, gradually introducing new layers into the
music until it becomes one huge pulsing canvas of sound that flashes with
intense light and emotion. ItÆs a wonderful way to start the album and it
sets the tone for the remainder of the record. æLord Howe riseÆ sees Xavier
Waerenburgh producing some beautifully understated percussive work that is
inventive yet unobtrusive as the rest of the band weave their web of sound
around the listener. The track builds nicely to a towering crescendo mired in
distortion, fading away only to build to an even grander conclusion before
collapsing towards the screaming guitars of æLoretaÆ, a track which comes on
like an amped-up Pink Floyd indulging in a collective ambient fantasy.
Opening with an ominous rumble of sub-bass, æSwallow the keyÆ is a dark,
slightly claustrophobic piece that throbs and creeps rather than soars and
provides some much-needed shade to the earlier trackÆs light.
One of the albumÆs longest tracks, ædefault descentÆ is a ten minute
exploration of the psyche that takes in gently rippling guitars, drums that
pound in the deep with increasing levels of agitation and soaring riffs that
writhe and breathe as the band allow them increasingly free reign. æIsolated
showerÆ is another lengthy piece that opens with a crackly sample and which
has the sort of somnambulant beat that powered early Mogwai remixes (think
ækicking a dead pigÆ). ItÆs a mesmerising track that moves away from the
sonically dense soundscapes of its predecessor towards lighter pastures and
then extends its reach towards the sky as the band employ ever-expanding
riffs augmented by expansive leads swathed in reverb. The albumÆs final
track, æreignÆ, is a dense coda that sums up the albumÆs strengths and leaves
the listener haunted by the memory of the wonderful melodies contained
within.
In my previous review I noted that in the years after Mogwai emerged,
post-rock became a crowded and rather bland genre. Cecilia::eyes avoid that
pitfall by building huge, emotive soundscapes that utilise familiar genre
tropes to tell a story that is all their own. The music is beautiful,
powerful and engaging and the album never once tests the patience or feels
overlong. Ultimately, ædisappearanceÆ with its strong thematic device, dark,
mysterious artwork and sublime musicianship is an absolute treat that needs
to be heard to be believed. It may have taken the band four years, but the
wait was worth it, ædisappearanceÆ is a stunning record.
-=- SHGZ -=-
P.S.
** Thanks ***
*** BCC FNT IPC SSR ***
*** For Knowing Where The Music Is At ***
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