Artist : Ef & Tiny Fingers
Album : Vayu
Year : 2016
Genre : Instrumental Rock
Quality : 238kbps / 44.1KHz / Joint Stereo
Source : CD
Playtime : 0h 31m
Size : 56.09mb
Label : Pelagic Records
Catalognr : PEL 074
Tracklist:
01. Ef - Hiraeth 5:39
02. Ef - Sju 3:48
03. Ef - 11 Shots And A Sudden Death 5:32
04. Tiny Fingers - Dust 7:56
05. Tiny Fingers - Sanhedrin 8:10
Releasenotes:
One of our favorite post-rock bands is back, and this time they've brought
friends! Gothenburg's Ef has established a name for itself over the past
decade, and every release is now an event. Pelagic Records' Split Series pairs
them with Israel's psychedelic rockers Tiny Fingers. This shouldn't work, but
it does. Even on the CD option (which doesn't involve flipping to the other
side), the flow is seamless.
Ef has become known for a strong strain of melancholy, as is apparent in their
threadbare lyrics. Lead single "Hiraeth" begins I rest my head, I'm calm now, I
lost my heart running around, it's all gone. The track mentions winter,
following a trend of prior autumn-based works. And yet the lyrics are not the
lead story. Ef's tender orchestration is in full effect here, and when
electronic beats enter the mix, they demonstrate once again why so many of their
tracks have led to remixes. A bittersweet, romantic video tracks the romance
between two passionate men. In the final 90 seconds, the guitars surge and the
drama goes over the top.
While this is the best track here, all are worthy. The instrumental "Sju"
lowers the tone somewhat, beginning with a heartbeat and threading its way down
a lovely, lonely path. The strings make the difference here, surging mid-track
before descending into a slow drone. This sets the stage for the burgeoning "11
Shots & a Sudden Death", the most rocking cut of the three. It's also the most
joyful, despite the dour "and down we fall" refrain. Operating as a musical
metaphor, the track highlights freedom from pain. "Down we fall" may as well be
"up we rise."
This clears the emotional palette for Tiny Fingers' instrumentals, which in this
context operate as a sweet coda ~ until one realizes that they demand attention
of their own. "Dust" and "Sanhedrin" swirl about, initiating a trancelike
state. The synthesizer of "Dust" is reminiscent of Gary Numan, lending the
track a throwback vibe. When that dust settles, the Sanhedrin (body of sages)
meets to share chord and note: wisdom without words. Bassist Boaz Bentur
proudly admits that these tracks are more jam-like than the band's usual output,
sparked by the freedom of writing a shorter work. He's right; last year's The
Fall contains a heavier dose of guitar and electronics than can be found here.
Yet these tracks, which began as an experiment, may yet be the start of
something new.
Richard Allen - acloserlisten.com
http://efmusic.se