Elemental, stormy, epic in its scope, the new indie-prog LP from Montreal with soaring guitar textures, falsetto, and strong falling bass lines has echoes of Mogwai and Sigur Rós, and is perfect to take on a winter walk or for a profound fireside evening. A mix of indie , prog, rock, psych and shoegaze, the band, formed in 2003 by the husband and wife team of Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas, with Kevin Laing (drums), Richard White (guitar), Sheenah Ko (keyboards) and Robbie MacArthur (guitar), have a history of grandiose titles, with two of their previous five including proclamations that they are The Dark Horse, as well as The Roaring Night. On this album, perhaps the pick is The Dark Side of Paradise, as well as Raindrops and Our Heads, Our Hearts On Fire Again, but the entire album has a consistency of easy grandiosity and build, requiring time and patience to let it soak in, gradual dynamic volume changes, and never galloping into a furious pace, giving a sense that the music, like some huge steam train, or indeed storm, cannot be hurried, but will follow in its own wake. The title track, which ends the album, more than 17 minutes in total, includes a lengthy sonic tail-off that dwindles into quiet. Out on Full Time Hobby.
Feel free to also check out our favourite albums of 2020 here:
Fiona Apple to Lianne La Havas to Yves Tumor: favourite albums of 2020 – Part 1
Agnes Obel to Bob Dylan, Phoebe Bridgers to Sault: favourite albums of 2020 – Part 2
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