Thoughts on Noise Passes, Silence Remains. 10th July 2008.

Just pop the album on, then. A Swedish four-piece I see. No hints as to what instruments they play… Wonder what they sound like? Ooh, this is nice. Warm and fuzzy synths and gentle guitar scrapes. Those noises are almost like sped up whale songs fluttering over the wash of ambient noise. What’s this called? “Dilation” - maybe it’s a reference to the womb-like feel they’re generating here. Yes, this is very nice indeed. Fingers crossed that they manage to sustain the warmth and atmosphere that they’ve created in these opening minutes across the rest of the album.

Wait a minute? What’s this? A delay-ridden, reverb-smothered, single-fingered guitar line. Hmm. Now another one’s joined it. Oh dear; it’s beginning to rise. I sincerely hope that the ambient-loveliness of the first song wasn’t just some cruel trick and the next eight songs aren’t generic post-rock-worship. Right, they’ve stepped on their pedals. It’s oh so triumphant. They’ve dropped it back down again. And now it’s gone a bit louder. How long is this song? Nearly eight minutes. Okay plenty of time for them to turn it around with a killer melody or riff. Seven minutes in now. Okay, looks like this song isn’t going to deviate from the Noughties post-rock template … wait, hang on a second… What’s this singing all about? Oh Christ, who went and invited Savage Garden to this party? "Stay right here"? Please; don’t. Ah, it’s over.

Okay... remember the first song; that was really good, after all, so this could just be a bit of slip-up. Perhaps the band is just finding their feet; this is their first record, after all. Maybe they’ll manage to balance the lovely ambiance with the reverbed guitar workouts. Yeah! That could work!

Okay, straight into “Violent Red”. Must be a pretty furious track with a name like that. It’s a descending guitar line, but a bit faster and with even more reverb this time. It’s being harmonised. It’s picked up a bit and gone loud quite quickly. Okay, this is nothing special but it’s alright. Very poppy. Oh no. Those vocals are back again. What’s this faux breathiness all about? I hope they’re over as quickly as on the last track. They’re not going to be, are they? Okay, so things aren’t looking too positive. It’s all a bit generic, but I’m sure if they keep those “heartfelt” vocals to a minimum then they’ll be able to deliver something reasonable.

Is it just me or have the rhythm section been doing that same plodding rhythm across massive swathes of the last three songs? They have, haven’t they? Dum, Dum, Dum, Dum. Dum, Dum, Dum, Dum. Come on guys, there’re more time signatures than this! Mix it up a bit! Give me some rhythms! Give it a bit of oomph! That’s what being a rhythm section’s all about! Actually, it doesn’t matter anyway because the singing’s back. What’s Savage G going on about this time? "You and I forever," eh? Not if you insist on singing at me, pal.

Hang on a minute; this is a nice rhythm they’ve got going here! It’s all gone a bit jagged. This is the first bit of guitar that’s actually made me sit up and take notice. What’s this called? “Let’s Go Again”. Okay, lead on chaps; where are we going? Dum, Dum, Dum, Dum. Right, yes. We’ve been there already, but I’m sure that’s not what you meant. Savage G is asking me to stay with him again. We’ve been through this mate, not if you insist on singing at me like that. This is starting to get grueling.

Sounds like a ballad next. What does that guitar melody remind me of? It’s something really famous… That’s it! “Everybody Hurts” by REM. Speaking of hurting, my palms are throbbing. What’s going there? Seems my nails are trying to tunnel their way through my palms in sheer frustration.

How much more to go? Three more songs. Be patient. They could always deliver a killer closer. Hey! Another good guitar line! This time even the drums and bass are doing something other than… Okay, scratch that. Well at least the good bit comes back a couple of times, and it’s less than five minutes long too. Small pleasures after all.

Why is it that every single song has to be about staying or going and have the words “and I” at the beginning of every sentence? Singing in English is not always a benefit, it seems. Last song now. It’s not really doing anything unique or particularly interesting is it? It’s driving enough though, and at least Savage seems to have taken a leave of absence on this one. It’s reaching a crescendo, but they’re actually fading it out. That’s a rather underwhelming way to end.

Note to self: put first track on a mix cd. Delete the rest to make space for porn.