Intense, dramatic, and moody doesn’t begin to describe Radio Swan Down. The latest release from Laura, a 6-piece from Melbourne, Australia puts their peers to shame, leaving most of the other releases out this year in the dust. The much anticipated follow up LP to last years excellent Mapping Your Dreams, Radio Swan Down does not disappoint, and is in fact a major leap forward for the band. This record is easily a contender for one of the best of the year.
From the beginning, RSD is much moodier than its predecessor, demonstrating an excellent use of instrumentation and arrangements.Laura offers much more diversity, and does it well, maintaining a coherent sound without becoming predictable or monotonous.Mapping was a fairly monolithic record, with a lot predictable guitar work, interesting tones, and slow-to-mid-tempo drumming, with the occasional post-rock ‘breakdown.’RSD runs the gamut from chill to heavy, with acoustic guitars, keys, organs, xylophones, distortion, reverb, tremolo, delay, and unidentifiable noise.Carolyn Gannell’s cello adds a seriousness that the band would otherwise lack, and ranges from melancholy and soothing, to squealing, crying, and plucked. If I’m not mistaken, Laura have added a member since their last record, and apparently have gelled as a unit, as the use of noise manipulation propels there sound forward.
Track 3, 'I Hope,' introduces vocals, but instrumental purists, don’t fret! They are hard to understand, ethereal, drawn out notes, floating above the music, drowning in reverb. And actually in key. Additionally, they are vaguely reminiscent of fantastic Midwestern indie-rock bands such as the Gloria Record, and a little bit like Jupiter-era Cave In. 'Every Light,' the first single off the record, is a short, upbeat song, with a swirling, cyclic guitar arpeggio, some beautiful xylophone parts, and sparkly auxiliary guitars, which recall a memory of EITS and Sigur Ros.
'It’s Kind of Like the Innocent Smiles You Get at the Start of a Relationship Before You Fuck Everything Up' is the strongest track on the record: a perfect blend of clean guitar tone, distortion, ambient noise, string scratching, and powerful tribal drums. The track starts off with a sort of trip-hoppy vibe, locking in a repetitive bass line with a solid drum beat. A organ part comes in out of the background, with an amazing vintage tone reminiscent of bands like Air. At around 1:27 the guitar takes over, and the song escalates, not to plateau, but only to continue ascending until the song ends at 5:09. Just after 2:10 that haunting piano riffs returns, while another piano bangs around in the background, while the guitars fight with each other, hurling distorted squeals and shrieks. The crescendo begins again at around 3:20, and now the real climax is approaching, as the bass kicks up. Somehow Laura manages to pull off this instrumental battle without sounding cluttered or messy, and the song retains its haunting beauty and power. This is easily one of the best tracks of the year. I cant think of a 5-minute long song with so much authority. Perfect.
Some to the transitions are not very smooth; I know in this age of iPods and mp3s most folks don’t care about this anymore, but the value of a coherent album should not be understated. Possibly my only criticism, these minor transitional problems kept he record from being completely coherent, and the flow is distrusted by awkward track sequencing. In addition, tracks 9 and 10 were recorded during different sessions, and the change in production quality is apparent. Although the tracks are worth including, they disrupt the flow of the album and make for more awkward transitions. Track 9 is the only other track on the album that features vocals, however, so it may be important that it be included.
Fans of ASMZ will enjoy this, as Laura can at times evoke a similar power and mood, particularly when both bands are instrumental, making use of distorted strings and noise manipulation. “Another Near Miss” is a great closer, featuring acoustic guitar. At almost 9 minutes, it is the longest track on the record. Climaxing around the halfway mark, the long outro makes use of a series of ever-lengthening complete rests and swelling noise to drag out ending. This may sounds a bit much, but it lulls the listener into a false state of security. One might think the song is over, only to have the strings swell back after 10 seconds of silence. After several such rests, the listener expects the strings to come back in, but are left only with silence, anticipating the next release from Laura already.
-Joseph Sannicandro