Monochromie – Enlighten Yourself While You Sleep

Monochromie is back with “Enlighten Yourself While You Sleep”, a new nine-track album in the ambient/electronica/post-rock genre and the new album will surprise many listeners.

After his quiet and peaceful debut album “Angels and Demons”, the new album shines bright. As the album cover suggests, sounds emerge from an electric heaven or flash through stormy skies. The post-rock tone is accentuated with the addition of ethereal melodies played on guitars, while loud and saturated noises that transports the listener into an increasingly wild, intense and deep elsewhere.

Fluttery Records is very happy to release the second album of this gifted artist and we believe that the people who enjoyed his debut album will also enjoy this album and find new musical tastes with the new songs like Fireworks, Day and night of a scarecrow, Silence is Anger.

REVIEWS

THIS IS NOT A SCENE / Tomas Mathie

“Inventive … noisy … with a focus on melody, “Enlighten Yourself While You Sleep” by Monochromie is a delight to listen to from start to finish.Folks like “Fennesz” come to mind when I listen closely. Monochromie‘s use of electronics and noise is comparable to his work … especially the seminal “Venice”. That said, at times the balance of noise and melody shift in power … with tracks “Birds Never Die” being, at times, more noise than melody … but, that said, the melody is always there … waiting to be heard … and when it is heard, it is gorgeous. There is a strong post-rock influence … with guitars playing a large part on this release. Take the opening track – “a cold sunset” – for example, it’s is pure delight. Dissonant, in places … but stunning nonetheless. The use of glockenspiel is simply inspired especially in contrast with the guitars … it defines the song with a simple counter-melody that cuts through the noise and emphasises the main melody … a guitar-led wall-of-sound. Monochromie have made this effort and shown their talent … creating a release that inspires and delights in equal measure … an album that is almost euphoric in nature with tracks like “Silence is Anger” and “Day and Night of a Scarecrow” really lifting the listener in the most delightful of ways. I thoroughly enjoyed this release and would recommend it to folks who like their post-rock heavily seasoned with noise and melody … or indeed their noise infused with post-rock driven melody.

A CLOSER LISTEN / Richard Allen

Enlighten Yourself While You Sleep might be considered Monochromie‘s post-rock/drone album, while Colors in the Dark might be considered his ambient/modern composition album, but the former is not too harsh and the latter is not too light. The membrane is thin and porous; each album reaches to the other with the intention of breaking through. By the very end, their hands finally meet, fingertip to fingertip, a short stretch from a clasp. Enlighten Yourself While You Sleep is dominated by crackle and reverberated guitar, but other sounds swim happily in the mix: glockenspiel emerges as early as the first track, while electronic bells wait until the second. These bright tones are like synapses firing while the body rests, a subliminal teaching tape playing in the background. An ambient album lies in the sediment as these elements swim above; listen carefully, and you’ll find it. By “Birds Never Die”, the crackle has grown into a drone: thick, dark, immersive. As Trouvé’s piano plays, the stark beauty of the ivories is intentionally obscured. “Day and Night of a Scarecrow” develops a drum beat midway, leading to a coalescence of drones. Will the clouds ever lift? ”Insomnia” suggests they will, as a looped choir levitates above the fray. Happy children have come out to play. Quieter and quieter the pieces go, until the end descends to sleep. Light static and sampled choir lead us back to the dark side of the sun.

ECHOES AND DUST / Daniela Patrizi

If you find yourself looking for some ambient / post-rock music infused with beautiful and sublime soundscapes, Monochromie has the right solution for you. Enlighten Yourself While You Sleep is the title and it’s going to be the one of the best 45-minute album you can experience. Monochromie is the musical side of the visual artist Wilson Trouvé from Marseille who already delighted fans of this kind of music with his quiet and peaceful debut album Angels and Demons. Enlighten Yourself While You Sleep opens with ‘A Cold Sunset’, a title that sounds strange since it puts together two opposite ideas, the sunset and the cold. I’ve always imagined the sunset as something warm! This track will introduce to your houses a new aura of celestial properties: the atmosphere in it is both tense and reserved, as if deep emotions are being forcibly held back. ‘Broken Beauties’ is an example of pure beauty. Listening to this song you’ll feel like floating. I tried to imagine a suitable video for this music and I came up with slow-motion images of sand blowing off the tops of dunes. With this kind of visual music you’ll get the sense of shapes shifting and forms moving. If Enlighten Yourself While You Sleep is your first contact with Monochromie I strongly recommend you to dive into this album but don’t omit his past Angels and Demons to discover this musical world. But if you are already a fan of Wilson Trouvé I’m sure you’ll find another soundtrack to your day.

BEACH SLOTH

Classical influences continue to inform each one of these pieces. Piano tends to be the most commonly used instrument. Drones help bring these pieces into warmer pasture. Oftentimes though the static and music works together to heighten the sense of discovery. ‘Broken Beauties’ begins with a busted piano sample. With each repetition the sample appears to break down further and further until only a shimmer remains of its original self. Static floats above this breaking spirit. On ‘Ashes and Sparks’ the static helps to make the song feel closer. The beginning is far away but with additional layers of static and noise it feels accessible. Additional layers have the added purpose of creating a warped sense of rhythm. Noise elements bounce off each other. ‘Birds Never Die’ pits a piano against a large slab of distorted noise. After the piano emerges victorious it seems like a particularly sweet victory. ‘Silence is Anger’ presents the noise as a classical element. Through its restrained use the static works like a sort of noise orchestra with a great sense of depth. Towards the end of the album things mellow out, like on the calm ‘Day and Night Of a Scarecrow’ which includes the static only at the very end. ‘Insomnia’ finishes the album off with a beautiful choir. Monochromie shows how the digital and the organic can exist as one.

CLOWN MAGAZINE

Monochromie is the creative vehicle for artist Wilson Trouvé, and this release Enlighten Yourself While You Sleep is the second album by Monochromie. We’ll start with the first track A Cold Sunset that introduces a distorted sound that goes well with the theme of a frosty cold start to the day. As the chimes progress through the track it lightens-up the atmosphere and you can imagine the sun bursting it’s rays through the gaps in the clouds. Lots of crackling probably produced by whipping guitar cables on the floor, which would signify the helplessness of a person or animal in Broken Beauties, other notably audio sounds is a roughly recorded piano, as well as a short segment of clean, bright piano notes being played. It’s like you’re in a wind or echo chamber when Ashes and Sparks starts, and a very haunting cello sound piercing the sound together with radio tuning high frequency samples to give you the sense of sparks flying through the air. Enlighten Yourself While You Sleep is a psychedelic paradise of avant-garde soundscapes, and surprisingly using a guitar through different effects, and recording processes and techniques to produce something more unique than just an instrumental film

THINK MUSIK / Brad Mathews

Today we take a look at the new Monochromie album, Enlighten Yourself While You Sleep. Monochromie is the musical project of French artist Wilson Trouve. This disc has proven to be a worthy follow-up the always spectacular Angels and Demons. Naturally, when news broke earlier this year about brand new album, i was stoked. I patiently waited until the day of release and then purchased it without having heard a single track. Angels and Demons had that big an impact on me. Continuing with the overall concept of dreamy, ambient post-rock, the new disc introcuces a plethora of sounds, including light bells, distorted buzzing, and atmospheric swells of ambient keyboards. The distortion on this disc is astounding, but Trouve is careful to not lean on it too much. Instead of coming across overbearing or plain noisy, it serves its purpose to enhance the exceptional musical quality on display. Fans of post-rock heavy hitters Mono and Hammock can not go wrong with this release. In terms of mood, « Enlighten Yourself While You Sleep displays a more somber, reflective attitude, dwelling more in the darker aspects of the post-rock sound. The aura of sadness this album conveys, however, is not uninterrupted. Instead, uplifting melodies stroll through the darkened landscape like sparks on live electrical cables. Explosions of introverted silence and sweeping atmospheres pace the record. Overall, this was a very enjoyable listen. It is up to par with Angels and Demons and even surpasses it on some fronts.

FESTIVAL DIARIES / Mike Bond

Indulging in the same sonic melancholia as the likes of Sigur Ros and Mogwai, Monochromie deal in dreamlike ambience and post rock heartbreak. The work of French musician Wilson Trouve, Monochromie is a one man enterprise and Enlighten Yourself While You Sleep the second album from him. As the records opening song A Cold Sunset washes over you it's clear that this record is going to be a beautifully subdued affair, all muted ambience and gently swelling guitar chords that transport you to some far distant place, images of a cold dark ocean lit up by an angry sunset and oppressive but beautiful red tinged skies. The likes of Birds Never Die, Ashes And Sparks and Silence Is Anger continue in this vein, Monochromie less about snappy melodies or pop music tropes and more about atmosphere and ambience, creating moody sonic tapestries full of emotionally charged rawness. Enlighten Yourself While You Sleep has a certain sadness to it, Monochromie certainly not presenting anything particularly pop fueled or snappy here. For lovers of the more atmospheric and dreamlike, Enlighten Yourself While You Sleep is a richly textured affair that stimulates all the right senses in intoxicating tear stained ways.

Elara – Soundtrack For a Quiet Place

Elara is a post-rock band from Italy which has heavy ambient and modern classical influences. The band Luigi Cerbone (Guitar, electronics, sounds & programming) was the founder, he first released an EP called “Starry night in a cold November” by himself in 2008.

Soon he met Alessio Tozzini (Bass) and Vincenzo Barbone (Drums) and they have been playing as a band since 2011. Band members told that band was result of the changes in their musical styles and concept and moreover, soon after that, "it came a moment of breathing space, the quest of peace and serenity."

These are the questions asked by the band:

"Is it possible, if only for a moment, to forget the frenzy of life?
Is it possible, at any time, anywhere you are, whatever you're doing, to take your mind back to the most exciting places you've ever seen, from the horizons that you have touched, to the nature that surprised you, to the single beat of the Earth that has allowed you to understand that whatever obstacle you're facing, somewhere there`s a lovely personal place where you can find peace and quiet?"

Elara continues:

"We tried to give shape to this need of the soul, notes and melodies, crescendos and atmospheres, which allowed us to fix forever the memory of those places and those emotions, which allowed us to create our own "Soundtrack For a Quiet Place."

The band decided to record a brand new 3 songs EP at the Domination Recording Studio based in the Republic of San Marino. Afterwards Greg Calbi, Senior Mastering Engineer at the Sterling Sound of New York, completed the mastering of the EP.

Elara is set to release their second EP “Soundtrack For a Quiet Place” with Fluttery Records in winter 2013.

How Come The Constellations Shine – Mémoire

Mémoire is a compilation album of Portuguese post-rock project How Comes The Constellations Shine consisting of outtakes. Those songs were recorded between 2006 and 2010 before Gonçalo Pereira start to work on the debut album Belongs To Mafra released in 2012 by Fluttery Records. During this four-year period, he recorded over two hundred songs.

The album was highly appreciated by the followers of our label and the critiques. Richard Allen from A Closer Listen wrote that "It’s uncommon for a band to break up, then return stronger than ever ~ but this rarity has just occurred. Portuguese band How Comes the Constellations Shine (once known as Purfect) is now down to its original member, guitarist Gonçalo Pereira."

After this album Pereira started working on the next How Comes The Constellations Shine LP, Mémoire. It wasn't easy to choose among two hundred tracks and some needed remixing.

Here he is explanining the motives and stories behind the tracks

"Overture was the final song recorded for the demo-album Precious Precious Silver Gold, released as free download in early 2010. This song was one of band mates favorite, but, the band never played this song. Overture is the only that was written with my fellow mate Tito. The guitar line in the beginning on the song was written by Tito during a rehearsal. At home, i wrote the rest of the song and recorded the whole song in one night. This is a special song. This could be a special song if we still together as a band. God only knows. "

"School Days is one of my favorite song ever. It was recorded at the same time as Alaska. I was in May 2008, just before buying new gear because in the beginning of this year all my gear was stolen. So, with new pedals and my beloved Boss GT-6, i started to write and record about ten new songs since the last one recorded, (Motherfuck). School Days was entirely composed with keyboards and and a lot of drum loops. I need to listen this song a lot of times until i get the right guitar pieces to put on."

"Alaska. I love this drum loop so much. When i heard this loop, i started immediately to work on a song with this drum loop. At this time we wanted to use a lot of pianos to support our songs. So, i recorded this piano loop and then all things change. The guitars were very simple, just three chords and a second guitar with a lot of delay make the main line of this song. We open the Mub Festival with this song. It was the only moment we play this song. But it’s still one my favorite."

"Leave The Heart That Now I Bear. This song was recorded right after Belongs To Mafra release.
I recorded a few songs just with guitars planning a future extended play to be released but i guess that this song matches with the old songs. Actually, this song is three songs in one. I recorded the first guitar line to be a completely different song. Then i recorded another guitar lines in the same project. For a while, a quit finishing this song, but when i re-open this project, i realized that this could be one song.

"Motherfucker is the first song written with the piano. After a week listening to this piano line, I started to add some guitars with a lot of delay, reverb and using a volume pedal. Then for the chorus i recorded up to five guitars including an acoustic one, and pushing up over the phrases the amount of distortion. This song was the last song recorded with my favorite guitar, a blonde Telecaster which was stolen after a rehearsal in january 2008. That guitar was my favorite one. I guess the name of this song came after that."

"She’s Blonde And She Says Uau A Lot has a lovely organ for the base. This song was written to be a kind of waltz or ballad or something like that. A song we could dance after dinner, slowly with our beloved one. Of course i was pushed to lift up the song to a massive distortion a the same drum loop compressed at the limit. This was the last song i recorded with my old Telecaster and the old recording gear."

"Shattered Glass we always wanted a song with pianos, synths, loops and ambient sounds. We always wanted a song with simple drums. We wanted a crescendo based song. I wrote this song at the same time as i was working on a self side project called Arundel. When i finish the songs for Arundel demo EP i realize that Shattered Glass should be a Constellations song."

"The Wind Will Carry Us. I guess that this song is the real image of Constellations as a band, as friends, as brothers. When we played this song live for the first time it was the best moment in our lives. When i was thinking about releasing this album the main idea was recording all this songs as new ones. This collection of songs were the best that i ever wrote and they are the true history of this band. But, honestly, after a few years, they sounded so fresh and so beautifully. They pictured five years of this project as a but, no matter if we never played most of them together. But all of this songs were the songs of our dreams, were the songs we heard a million times in our car. Why should I change this songs? This song is with no doubt, the most important song of How Comes The Constellations Shine as a band. And now that we no longer exists as a band, The Wind Will Carry Us is still our song."

"On Rascals is recorded when I moved for my new house with my eventual wife. It was in the summer of 2008 after our first gig with this formation. A song with a solo. I recorded this guitar solo in one take. To play this song live, i needed to learn again that solo for a week. But when all learned the song it was, wow, a huge huge wall of sound. One of the greatest moments we ever had."

"Western Media Avenue's the main guitar was written in 2009. We played this song in our third gig. I remember when we were playing this song, a girl was on the floor, with eyes closed, and she’s was dancing alone along the song. A magic moment. But after that concert we throw away this song because the notes were the same during the all song and started to be boring for us play that. But I still love this song, the drums getting bigger along the song. I always imagine a race when I listen to this song. This song is like a see you soon guys. It´s the closer song of this album, and I know, it will be the opening one for a future, brothers.Mémoire is the summary of all these years of work."

Fans of How Comes The Constellations Shine as a band and both as a project love this album as well.

Neko Nine – Summer Is You

Russia's Neko Nine was started by Seva Shaposhnikov in 2009. It became a four piece band in December, 2011. Here they are: Seva Shaposhnikov (guitar, vocals, samples), Andrey Kuznetsov (bass), Roman Veselov (guitar), Aleksandr Danilevsky (drums).

Neko Nine's post-rock / post-metal aesthetics is made of peaceful melodies & distorted harsh guitars, atmospheric sound space, nasty drum beats. Their music also contains unique results of the experimentation of new possibilities for post-rock sounds.

“Summer is You” is the debut album of Neko Nine. This thirteen songs album is filled with pure energetic guitar sounds and emotional melody lines.

Amp Rive – Irma Vep

Italian instrumentalist Amp Rive release their debut album "Irma Vep" on Fluttery Records. Their music can be described as post-rock with a strong focus on melody, mixed with hints of shoegaze and dreamy dissonances. Energetic, pure and elegantly melodic dynamism. Precise, functional, but never trivial rhythmics. Let's have a look at what others say about them:

"Amp Rive plays a pure, elegant form of post-rock, which is hard stuff to find nowadays.Their debut album has the grace and delicacy that are essential for it to be called a great album. The sounds are calibrated to move in the same direction, and they get more and more intense each time you listen.
Amp Rive shows that it's still possible to come up with great instrumentals. (Rockit)

"Post rock with peacefully reverberated atmospheres. Six tracks that are transparently enchanting". (Rockerilla)

"If someone ever asks you to explain the idea behind post-rock in words or theories, don't even try. The answer is all in this album. A modern instrumental classic, it fascinates the listener with its poetry". (Rockambula)

"An instrumental album with catchy melodies that put you back in touch with your feelings, with the moments when the music just gets inside you". (Musica Rovinata)

"An excellent debut album with post-rock flavor in considered, concise tones, where proper maturity and unwavering passion shine through in every track" (The Cave)

"Impetuous, incredibly lively post-rock that wins you over as time goes by" (HateTV)

"Compellingly melodic, this instrumental post-rock offers peaks of energy and drive which make it really pleasant to listen to, and it never gets monotonous". (Sound Magazine)

"Straddling psychedelia, this post-rock is electric and dynamic, and has a strong penchant for melody. It hits directly between mind and heart, a place that other albums rarely aim at". (Rock Impressions)

"You can't find anything bad to say about this album. It all flows perfectly, as clean guitars segue into distorted guitar work, and the feeling just gushes out". (Shiver)

"A worthwhile album with very good technique, 'Procession' and 'If' are the nicest, most exciting tracks". (Ondalaternativa)

"Exciting crescendos and awe-inspiring overtures, with balanced arrangements and unshackled instrumental power" (Salad Days)

"An album you'll listen to again and again and again, as you lose yourself in its reverie". (Lyezine)

"Refinement upon refinement are skillfully introduced as the tracks follow one another. These small "licks" embellish the beautiful melodies of the songs and plant them firmly in your mind" (Radio Nunc)

Ana Never – Small Years

Ana Never creates one of the most essential post-rock albums of the year. We will never forget the moment we have received the recording and start listening to it. When we heard the whole album, we knew how lucky we were. "We have listened to one of the greatest post-rock album of all the times."

On their new album "Small Years", Ana Never creates exciting and sensual atmosphere and waves of sounds in a lonely planet. We are landing this planet with 26 minutes and 34 seconds long track "Future Wife" where droning guitars slowly runs to climax. The special guest, Tijana Stankovic on violins has made a great contribution to the album and the violin lines of "Future Wife" make the song wear wings accordingly to to quietly plucked guitar notes and drum rolls. We continue traveling with "Half Way" which is the shortest track of the record. We find a coherent dark story here driven by piano / broken hearted guitars. The third track; "Gorgeous One" brings us to the most peaceful areas on this planet, there are lots of things picture here in the 16:14 run time. The last track To Live For is the longest track of the album which brings an energetic and dark conclusion to the album. It's not safe enough to listen while driving because the violent tornado may take you in, you should hide behind your inner shadows before it unfolds gently.

In short, we believe Ana Never has crafted a masterpiece in their four track, 75 mintues 34 seconds long album. Let's make reference to Joy Division here: They share a dream, no post-rock fan can step outside.

REVIEWS

A Closer Listen / Zachary Corsa

“Half Way” is a ghostly little interlude, the ideal comedown to the massive tidal swell of what came before. Stirring little piano snippets over a bed of noise segue into the aptly-named “Gorgeous One”, another violin-led wander through heartbroken topographies that brings to mind Early Day Miners, Balmorhea and even Dirty Three before its eventual, blissfully inevitable climb skyward. Fact of the matter is, sometimes there’s great pleasure in the expectation of the usual crescendos in post rock. The final piece, “To Die For”, is slightly mathier, with brisk drumming and American Football clean guitars rushing in tandem between the giant swells of noise. The album ends in a whisper, disintegrating into a half-life of ash and meltdown, resigned, sated. The thing about indie rock is that the Dirty Projectors can’t make a trip to the local Kroger feel like battling a horde of Vikings for control of the earth.

“Post rock is boring.” Shut up. “Post rock is predictable.” Shut up again. “All post rock is the same.” Meet a fist. Enough. When post-rock is this good, all the self-serious dialogue and nose-in-the-air judgment doesn’t matter. This album destroys.

Fade To Yelow

Fluttery Records seem to have a knack of signing artists who release great albums. This latest album release by Serbian based Ana Never is more than great. This is epic post-rock, 4 tracks on this album, titled ‘Small Years’ spans over 75 minutes. The shortest track, Half Way is nearly 5 minutes long while the longest track, To Live For, is just slightly over 28 minutes long. The opening track Future Wife has a slow entrance, and equally slow exit, at just over 26 minutes in length, there is no real hurry to go anywhere. the song builds, almost drone like, then transforms into this long form post-rock sound that is patiently building and building before ebbing away. The last song, ‘To Live For’, moves along at a slightly different pace to the other three tracks on this release. Ana Never do have a history of long form songs and it works perfectly, it certainly never feels that long when you are listening to it. So, Fluttery Records triumph again with this release and their seemingly endless stream of signed artists from all over the globe who produce music of the highest calibre.

Beach Sloth

The album title may be a bit of a joke as these are giant songs. Ana Never knows how to create epically long, grandiose pieces. With two pieces clocking in at almost a half hour these are giant slabs of Post-Rock akin to Godspeed You Black Emperor’s work. Classical instruments such as violins contribute to this particular feel. Here the songs soar. Everything takes a long time to build yet when it does it becomes overwhelming. Pieces get rather loud and extremely busy. More than a few times it feels less like a band and more like an entire village is performing.

Aggression comes out in the first piece ‘Future Wife’. The violinist does a particularly lovely job of rising above the guitar-generated din. Musicians work together to keep relatively calm for the first half. However about halfway through Ana Never gets extremely aggressive, beyond that of regular Post-Rock. It sounds almost metal-influenced, akin to Mogwai’s approach. ‘Gorgeous One’ lives up to its name and remains calm. Little in the way of aggressive distortion can be found on this one as it has a much more positive, upbeat approach. It is an infinitely hopeful piece. ‘To Live For’ sounds like an endurance test for the band. Ana Never avoids an outright long build up. From the beginning the song is on the verge of explosion and get moving relatively quickly. In less than two minutes it is in full swing. This is kept up for much of the duration of the song, only catching its breath about halfway through the piece.

‘Small Years’ is giant in every sense of the word: scope, size, and execution.

William Henry Prince

To Live For is twenty eight minutes of swelling, moody brilliance. Like the movement of the sea, it is deep, powerful and constantly shifting, propelled by elemental, emotional forces.

Ana Never have been variously described as ‘instrumental’, ‘post-rock’ and ‘prog’. All of these labels are loosely correct – their music has no vocals and doesn’t follow standard song structures, but, to me, it is so much more. I love the sheer monumental scale of it, the layering, the moods, filled with waves, with ebb and flow – it is ‘ocean rock’. These tracks are tidal.

Future Wife has some passages that are reminiscent of Brian Eno’s ambient work – particularly the second half of ‘Before And After Science’. The synths, guitars, bass and drums are complimented by violins, to create a wide, glassy, gently flowing river of sound. Spikes of feedback and distortion are driftwood, reaching out like hands from the depths beneath. Twenty six and a half minutes of sonic majesty.

Gorgeous One is propelled by drum brushes, guitar rhythms and deep bass swells. The synths add a cool retro feel – suggesting the instrumental side of David Bowie’s ‘Heroes’ album. The staccato guitar work builds with weeping keys, reaching the crest of a gigantic wave, before rolling out to quiet stillness again. The long, moaning violin and lone medieval drum beat are hypnotic, balanced by short, echoing piano stabs and the occasional, percussive sound of a violin bow tapping the strings.

Terapija

Everything is great, overwhelming and complete. Indeed, everything points to the fact that post-rock veterans from Serbia, Ana Never band is currently in the climax of their creation.

Just like on their first album, but here are a lot more powerful, these Suboticians layer by layer build orgy tonal trifle grandiose and emotional discharge. In all four compositions Ana Never transport their sound filled with strong feelings. All are invited. No matter what you like long instrumental pieces or not. These are the sort of symphony, whose basis is a harmonious play two guitars, bass, drums and keyboards that is not in the eye countless times proclaimed the death of the genre, but also the darkness of this world. "Small Years" from start to finish infused with the indomitable positive, which is also reflected among other things, with the names of compositions, "Future Wife", "Half Way", "Georgeus One" and "To Live For." These guys have obviously found what something is worth for living, to rejoice and cry, so it also passed on his new album. Epic, monolithic, silent and hidden world in free fall, and momentum to new heights - Over twenty minutes long compositions such as introductory "Future Wife" and the final "To Live For." These Suboticians not care much for the time and have no fear that it might have turned out boring, but all add up safe and sound mosaics in which and everything is in its place.

Echoes And Dust

It’s been a good year for post rock with luminaries MONO and Godspeed re-entering the fray, complemented by strong work from lesser know lights like Whale Fall, Rumour Cubes and sleepmakeswaves but let me tell you ladies and gentlemen, ‘Small Years’ is up there with the best of them. Staying true to the genre, the record is made up of just four tracks, of which two weigh in at nearly half an hour a piece and these top and tail the album magnificently. Many post rock bands make overlong tracks because they feel they have to, because that’s the template, Ana Never do it because that’s how long it takes them to say what they have to say. At no point in these monster epics, and this is especially true of the phenomenal closer ‘To Live For’, does one find one’s attention wandering. In fact, you barely notice the length of the tracks, such is the enthralling nature of the music.

Stinkweeds "Best of 2012" Book / Jesse Srogoncik

Formulaic though it may be, instrumental post-rock still has the ability to create moments of transcendental bliss at the proper volume. This sophomore effort from Ana Never stands as one of the finest post-rock recordings of this or any other year. Truly magnificent: the elongated, creeping crescendo of Godspeed You Black Emperor, the melancholy of Japan's Mono, and Mogwai's gale force, hammer of the gods. There is an undeniable stasis befitting their Serbian origins; like Thomas Koner or Stars Of The Lid, a tectonic shift that seems capable of bending time. You'll want your clock set to Daylight Savings Time and a stereo that goes to eleven.

Arms Of Tripoli – All The Fallen Embers

"All the Fallen Embers" is the debut EP from this unique group. The album perfectly showcases the band’s overall playing style, composed of multiple influences, yet remaining true to old roots that generated an interest for playing post-rock music overall. Each track not only introduces the personal influence of each featured member, but also culminates an experience that the band wishes to share with each listener, no matter where that person is in the world.

To say "no track is the same" would be an understatement, as this EP blends the sourced sound through various layers, ultimately creating a new version set apart from the intent stemming from the original demos. This was achieved, in part, through the collaboration with other LA based musicians who lent their skill and distinct sounds to these songs. In addition to each member reigning from a previously established Los Angeles, post rock and instrumental outfits, this debut album is literally an all star institute not to be passed up.

REVIEWS

Masterdog Sings The Browns

All The Fallen Embers is a quite lovely chunk of instrumental post-rock, and considering there's a fair amount of bog standardpost-rock out there it's good to finally happen upon something that at leastmanages to hold the attention for more than a few moments before some kindhypnotic stupor takes hold.

With members from various other bands (Signal Hill, The Half Mantis amongstthem) this coming together of a collective consciousness has resulted in arather charming and surprisingly gentle collection of tunes.
Opening track Vikings In The Attic sounds not unlike Oxford's The Rock Of Travolta (as indeed does Cliff Dwellings which appearslater on) in that the melody and the hook comes first rather than theinsistence that everything must be drenched in reverb and delay. That's not tosay that it's not wonderfully hazy and dreamy, it is, but not to such a degreeas too blur everything into a mush. City Speak is initially slightly more reserved and winsome, and explores a fewmathy corners here and there for good measure. Some tidy basslines drive thesong forward as the guitars swell and chime establishing a haunting narrativebefore opening out and adding a bit of muscle for the closing moments. The bandnever really opt for the all out sonic assault however, which takes somegetting used to. Just when a barrage of noise is expected to come kickingthrough, it never appears. Initially this feels like a bit of a let down, butArms Of Tripoli have other tricks up their sleeve, as evidenced on Sectioned ByBrooks where they segue between moods with great ingenuity, establishingtranquil moods and passages of extreme tension without the need for overbearingdistortion.

Finishing up with the ever changing moods of Cliff Dwellings (think Fugazi onthe Instrumental soundtrack) and Radio Silence (which flirts with dischord andtime in equal measure) All The Fallen Embers is a good solid body of work froma band on form.

Syffal

My post rock diet lately has been a mixture of the dark and dirgey and the inspirationally uplifting "I just out smarted the Lannisters on the field of battle" type shit. I'm either cutting sketches of penises into my forearm in my four cornered room staring at candles or I'm allowing my comrades to lift me up triumphantly in the air as we celebrate with mead and whores.

So then Arms of Tripoli sent in their EP titled All The Fallen Embers...

Now I'm kind of in the middle of both bro bro.

Arms of Tripoli, forget them having a tattoo worthy logo, have managed to enter into my music listening habits as the only post rock band on my manpod to abstain from the distortion pedal and still sound balls as balls. There are stretches on the EP where you're daintily skipping along, while haunted by the soundtrack of course, but until the fucking shit hits the fan you're unaware of the tension building around you, and only when shit slows back down are you aware of where you just were. The entire EP is a lesson in extremes, as one second you're holding your arms out like a scarecrow stoned to the bejeezus and floating along like a hippie chick on a bowl of schwag, and next you're running from paramilitary assasins armed with blowguns and tazers, the dichotomy or juxtaposition, or whatever word you use that makes you feel smarter, is fonduborous bro.

Fonduborous is a word I just typed that doesn't have a red squiggly line under it, so I'm going to let that muthafucker ride bro bro.

All in all, Arms of Tripoli are the tame side of the post rock coin, but remember this coin is dependent on emotion, and these fuckers are that calm guy you know that all of a sudden loses it and calmly shoves a guy's foot up his own ass if given proper bait.

Allow the track Cliff Dwellings to be the track you start from, as the layered guitars tell you there's 17 guitar players, but the build into the gruff tells you they put out on the regular bro bro.

Sun in Scorpio Music

The band was forged under the premise that the most prolific and profound music is created when a strong spirit of collaboration is present. Thus, the band features an ever revolving line up of musicians and artists that accompany its primary members in all aspects of artistic development. It is at its core a creative outlet for everyone, exposing a new and unarchived musical experience for everyone to enjoy. A mellow, yet interesting and dynamic listen is what you will get on all the fallen embers. Arm of Tripoli's approach to music incorporates excellent songwriting and technical proficiency whilst creating memorable tracks.

Beach Sloth

Arms of Tripoli possess a certain relaxed charm in their approach. In many ways what they do is similar to other casual variants of Post-Rock: Tortoise in particular. Blends of jazz can be felt in the use of vibraphones, in the sometimes slow tempos they often employ. Here they may move a bit faster than Tortoise but the sense of each band member having a certain amount of breathing room is employed. In each song the band listens to each other, avoiding any overbearing size. Rather part of the intention is to have an organic, playful structure. Quieter moments fare better as they show this particular emphasis quite well.

‘Vikings in the Attic’ exemplify this approach. No buildups or crescendos are involved like many other Post-Rock bands. Here they get there when they get there. The time to reach little scenes of drama makes it thoroughly enjoyable. On ‘City Embers’ as Arms of Tripoli increase the tempos and volume it still possesses the same, laid-back vibe of the melody’s origin. ‘Sectioned by Brooks’ the song spends its time floating about, reminiscing of the more active earlier half. Finally there is the gem of the collection ‘Cliff Dwellings’ which is so easy, so casual it is infinitely easy to enjoy. The band sounds particularly comfortable here, sounding almost like recent Tortoise albums. It is the song’s end which is really stunning, possessing a gorgeous finale.

Overall this has a mellow vibe which works wonders. ‘all the fallen embers’ shows off the fruits of a band willing to maintain a specific focus on mood more than overwhelming the listener.

Sound Of Confusion

Comprising of members of various instrumental and experimental bands, Los Angeles collective Arms Of Tripoli are staying true to their roots by not compromising their sound for a chance at selling out. They have a core group of members, but also welcome input and collaborations from other like-minded musical souls. 'All The Fallen Embers' is the debut release under this current format and is post-rock with a difference. The difference being that it's not deliberately abstract, indulgent or obtuse, and that the songs, despite their seemingly niche style, will appeal beyond those already absorbed in the genre. You could call it a post-rock starter kit, but that implies that Arms Of Tripoli are somehow watered down or overly commercial, neither of which is true, they simply have great tunes.

The closest we get to the output normally associated with this genre is perhaps 'Walking Eyes', at six minutes long it allows a decent amount of soloing while sticking to the atmospherics, but it might not be the easiest route in for more pop-minded listeners. The fabulous 'Vikings In The Attic' or the melodic 'Cliff Dwellings' maintain their chosen sound with a more universal appeal. It could be 'Radio Silence' that's best of all, fitting in tempo changes, broken beats and a winding guitar line along with the usual post-rock dynamic. It shouldn't be an insult to say that these Californians have taken music that's generally an acquired taste and turned it into something more universally appealing, in fact it takes great skill to do so. If you've been put off by laborious, atmospheric guitarscapes in the past then give this a shot. It might go some way to converting you.

Caleidoscoop

This has everything to do with the layering of the music. The guitar layers, which incidentally are mostly rhythmical, nocturnal and jazzy reminds me of Tortoise. That keeps the music nicely balanced and also brings the depth. Besides Tortoise you can hear influences of June Of 44 Don Caballero, Fugazi and Explosions In The Sky in their music. They build the tension or rather let you dream away on the rippling nice pieces. In addition, they envelop the mostly in the night and melancholic atmosphere. They shine as the driven thereby, glowing coals in the night. Very nice and promising!

La Gran Perdida de Energia – La Gran Perdida de Energia

La Gran Perdida de Energia's story starts in Patagonia, Argentina when 4 guys decide to make post-rock music that doesn't exist in their small village. You can feel the weather and see those landscapes when you hear their music.

The musical composing is a kind of a trip. Most of the time you don't know when or where this is going to end. As soft climates and melodies are common, sometimes everything crashes with some powerful drums and bass. La Gran Perdida de Energia makes music with 4 instruments (2 guitars, bass and drum) and post-rock maybe the genre of their music. Some post-rock guitars and cymbals play rhythm when the drum and bass hit together... It's normal to hear changes in phrases, and sometimes the trip end at an unexpected moment. There are lot of snow, lakes, rain and woods in those musical climate, as are in their home town Patagonia.

Most of the record is instrumental; there are little “mantras” in the second half of it, repeating that little words to find all their own meanings. Voice is like an other instrument in those moments. The record starts with a little intro of “El Mes del Viento” and continues with “Balsa”. “Do!” is where the music gets more cozy with more rhythm and guitar plucking. Then with “Bajo el Manzano”, the music takes a long road that arrives the ocean and stays there with “De los que Viven Bajo el Agua”. “Asia” takes things more powerful with all the structure changes and mantras of “Diente de León”.

The goal is achieved at the end, they produced music does not exit in their town and Fluttery Records can not resist releasing it.

REVIEWS

Beach Sloth

La Gran Perdida de Energia is Post-Rock by the beach. This is such a casual take on what can be a rigid genre. Post-Rock sounds tortured most of the time by musicians suffering some unknowable pains (hence all the Post-Rock instrumental bands). Or the reverse is grandiose inspirational music a la Explosions in the Sky. Rather than follow these established templates La Gran Perdida de Energia takes a fun approach. This is rarely heard relaxed Post-Rock of Tristeza stock, of The Sea and Cake casual coolness.

‘DO!’ is where their personality begins to shine. Here their playfulness takes over showing off their style. ‘Bajo el Manzano’ may be their best song on the entire album. At nine minutes they sprawl out hitting every potential perfect sound. The tones are elegant. What is so remarkable is how clear their vision is in this song. As they explore they dive deeper and deeper into their own take on an often rigid genre. Moments of this song are pure bliss. Sonic Youth would be proud to call ‘Asia’ one of their own. Parts of this song achieve that combination of heartfelt warmth and hipness that Sonic Youth has been trying for lately. By the end they transform the piece into one of the lightest pieces I have heard for a while. This is not a crescendo but rather the best way a song can float away. ‘Diente de León’ ends it, alternating between indie rock, elements of surf rock, and post-rock.

Everything here shows off the talents of a band unconcerned with much of anything. It sounds completely free and happy. Let it lift you up.

MRU / Vanessa Baker

After La Gran Pérdida de Energia’s first album, Volvemos en 10 Años, was recorded and edited independently in 2007, the four members decided to go their separate ways. But three years later, when the men found themselves all living in the vicinity of their native Argentina, they reunited. And the product is La Gran Pérdida de Energia, eight energetic tracks carried by strong bass lines and powerful drums.

The band describes itself as “indie instrumental post-rock,” claiming the goal was to create something that defied the traditional Argentinean sound famous for soft climates and melodies. They certainly achieve this with the heavy use of drums on some tracks, while allowing other songs to slip into an easy, laid-back guitar melody almost reminiscent of 1970s rock. The harder sounds stop short of overkill, interspersed with easy rhythms and punchy beats.

Half of the songs are over five minutes, which can make the record feel as if it’s dragging a bit. But these grand, sweeping tracks have enough upbeat melody tucked inside them to give the feel of building up to something rather than bringing the album to a halt.

La Gran Pérdida de Energia covers a lot of ground, contrasting catchy, Latinesque numbers with heavy, nostalgic guitar riffs and climactic drum lines. The band manages to pack a lot into the album, while challenging the sound of Argentina.

Indie Bands Blog

La Gran Perdida de Energia from Villa La Angostura in Argentina is an Experimental Alternative Rock band. Formed in 2007 and made up of the quartet - Hernán Aguilar, Salvador Barcellandi, José Delgado and Lisandro Marquez.

Ringing out from the small town close to the Chilean Border in Andean Patagonia there emerges a sound which must, I imagine, ring strangely to the surrounding mountains. As the experimental alternative rock generated by La Gran Pérdida de Energía sits leagues away from the more traditionally associated music.
Tracks range from barely a minute to getting on for the fifteen minute mark, as the musicians calmly express the story within each song, without vocal.
Strangely, I don’t get a sense of the source geography of the creators from the music, rather that of a wide open land-mass. The material is written within a recognizable format, whilst permitted to wander over the scale to create the experimentation the band wishes to pursue.
There is a gentle rolling sound which emanates from the band which is creatively encompassed within a refrain of guitar driven harmonics. I can pretty well see the guys sitting on the beaches of West Coast USA creating the music, not in the bowl of alpine style chalets, deep in the heart of South America, albeit lake-bound.
One of the joys of writing about music is the surprising out-put and locations from which the musicians make their statements. La Gran Perdida de Energia is a superb sounding band that I am delighted to have had the opportunity to get to review.

Slave State / Michael Porali

Fluttery Records moves all that often in the neighborhood of post-rock and ambient, and La Gran Perdida de Energia is no exception. Initial "El Mes del Viento" creeps along like a mix of Mogwai - Anno 1997, Sonic Youth's more rock-oriented side. According to the La Gran Perdida de Energia (freely translated: the great loss of energy) to be the only / first band in their genre in their city. It's atmospheric and epic, and there are natural and weather metaphors. Patagonian plains and mountains, a lonely night promenerandes… You feel like you actually see a post rock concert at a moderate great club scene. Is this makes me want to hear more of the band? Clearly!

Caleidoscoop / Jan Willem Broek

The next country has been added to Fluttery Record's artists list is Argentina. The first two songs starts the the album in exciting way, without an eruption to come. In that respect remind Mogwai and sometimes Come On Die Young. Then it becomes a lot more rhythmic and actually hear a lot of acrobatic math rock influences, causing Don Caballero comes into the picture. Furthermore, they also frequently noise like Sonic Youth. They have surf rock influences like Pixies and they also have heavy prog-rock influences. Post-rock that gives the feeling of flying reminds the band Explosions In The Sky, it's clear in the songs like "Asia".

The band knows how to sound original and adds their own color to post-rock music. Great loss of energy, as the band name suggests, is not there now because they give everything on the right dose, you get more energy. Great and original debut.

Gespenst – The Bloodline

Bringing out great music all over the world is one of our missions at Fluttery Records amd it makes us feel great. This time we are releasing great post-rock & post-metal music from Malaysia. Founded by two brothers from Kuala Lumpur in 2009, Gespenst members don't call themselves a band. “We’re not a band, we’re brothers” says Syahmi.

Gespenst is made of Syahmi Rawi and Zuhair Rawi. The post-rock duo creates minimal riffs and sounds but presented in a big and cinematic style. Every note and riff in each song has its own emotion and shaped by ambient sounds and heavy soundscapes. Gespenst is influenced by the sound of Pg.Lost, Khoma, Mono, and Maybeshewill.

Gespenst has step up their game in The Bloodline, focusing on emotional value in each song without using any spoken words. The Bloodline has a symbolic meaning to Gespenst, portraying the meaning of love, rage and hope through musical presentation and blended with distorted riffs and melancholic strings.

“If your heart isn’t closed on fragile beauty and loves something more than intensive screaming and guitar-raping, please try and fall in love with Gespenst” – Shillenya, A Hymn For A Lost Soul. This EP starts with huge strings and screaming guitars in Silver Lining, sounds like they’re calling you to be a part of their pure and emotional journey." says Zuhair and adds "The Bloodline presents high level post rock since very beginning – shaking and staggering riffs, ambient background and main melody switching from keys, strings to guitar. Lesson well learned – put their level pretty high for rookies”

Gespenst crafted their music in The Bloodline as an epic emotional journey with vivid lights of hopes vanishing through every color of rage and drowning in the sea of sadness.

REVIEWS

Heart Cooks Brain / Martin Smeets (8 / 10)

Imagine it is the night. In a big city. Let's put it in Kuala Lumpur. Heavy rain crackles, signs that the sun would ever rise again, studied in vain. A young woman is smoking on her balcony in the 28th Floor, from the bottom of the street noise flows with all its hustle up a dull roar. The smoker looks into the distance, a cinemascope-tracking shot continues her look through the urban canyons, and on. From somewhere else hear an ominous cello-acting, followed by a stray guitar melody. The picture darkens further in, heavy on drums resound, while a glockenspiel and there lights in the dark paints. Music for the night you get served here, on a silver platter. Post-rock that synapses, leaves are falling, even more expressive images that are inherent in this album, waiting for their liberation.
Powerful production of entire album lends the painting, a potential score. Memoir with its heavy piano and discreet electronics as grandiose attacks-by dystopian score; Departure fit on riotous landscape pictures in the late dusk; and the absolute highlight of this album, the stunningly good in September makes every possible situation a dazzling impression.

MRU / Aoife Read (5 / 6)

Emotion positively drips from each track. Held together by simple guitar licks and minimalist sloping piano riffs, the music maintains a rich multi dimensional sound that soars and flows from track to track. Their music is vast and epic. It’s the kind of thing you expect to hear on the ad for a big block buster action movie. Actually, whilst listening to the title track ‘Bloodlines’, images of long haired Lothario's on motorcycles, jumping through a cloud of fiery smoke kept being conjured up. Granted I had just watched a Steven Seagal box set, but you get my drift! The album is almost post apocalyptic in its sound. It’s bleak and bold and packed with raw energy. In parts it’s almost gothic, and I honestly can not think of anyone to compare them to. I was extremely impressed by these guys and I really did like the album. A genuinely unique act, they really fill their own little space at the rock table expertly.A solid 5/6 from me. Definitely worth a listen, just maybe, steer clear of the Seagal box set before hand!

Beach Sloth (7.3 / 10)

Gespenst’s ‘The Bloodline’ has adrenaline rushing through its veins. This Malaysia band’s work has elements of Post-Rock and Classical brought together. Each song feels strong, in a literal power sense. Sonically, it is a dense album. A lot goes on in these pieces. At moments they appear completely at ease right before they explode. Synthesizers are used strategically when the band needs to grow in size.

Clear references to Post-Rock are made throughout the album. ‘Silver Lining’ appears inspired by some of Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s gradual builds. The band sounds particularly large in this setting. Actually the combination between the dainty sounds and the larger overall structure is quite effective. Gespenst is a much smaller band however; hence electronic effects do cover for some of the classical elements. They flirt with aspects of metal, similar to Mogwai’s approach to songwriting. Mogwai takes a more depressive view whereas Gespenst’s pent up energy is enthusiastic, cheerful in tone. ‘The Bloodline’ is fast track moving quickly from the beginning and ending with great dollops of drum crashes and distortion. By far my favorite is the ‘Explosions in the Sky’ referencing track, ‘September’. Here they leave out the heaviness for the whole first half of the track. Only after a well-placed sample do things begin to expand outwards.

Hope can be found in these seven tracks. ‘The Bloodline’ despite its name, is overall a positive album. Gespenst appears to be a happy band. Everything they do indicates a positive attitude towards the future.

Slave State / Michael Porali

All the way from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the brothers Syahmi and Zuhair found their way to the western sub-category we know as post rock. Or if it's post rock looking them up. Far more important is they do it successful that you can ever imagine and "The bloodline" is actually one of the most powerful I have heard in the genre in a long time. They have influences like pg.lost and Maybeshewill but they are succeed to over come. The track "Silver Line" itself proves all they ever need to prove. The fact that the six subsequent tracks are exactly the same high standard is not something I even need to mention, I hope? In short Gespenst succeed it by avoiding being protracted ambient just for the sake of it (Mono) and they never fail over to the metal tendencies such as Pelican often get stuck in.

"The Bloodline" is simply everything a post rock album should be and they do it in a interesting way. The tunes makes me want to run cinematic with open arms at sunset, or if I would prefer to hide under the bed sobbing spirit that nothing will ever work out. I just know that "The Bloodline" would be the right soundtrack for the two.

Caleidoscoop / Jan Willem Broek

I call Fluttery Records repeatedly as one of the most exciting, international labels, partly because they keep class bands from all over the world. Particularly post-rock field throwing them high eyes, but also on the experimental and neoclassical terms they come up with various leading groups. And the country list grows every time. A country that you might not expect you so soon in the post-rock list is Malaysia. Gespenst is consisting of the brothers and Zuhair Syahmi Rawi, and they are from the capital Kuala Lumpur. Once again, this proves that Fluttery Records' ears are open for the records from all over the world. At least, they are my first Malaysian post-rock band and the brothers also bring another high-level post-rock. They link tasty guitar riffs on piano parts, electronic orchestrations, strong percussion and vocals and sampled voices. The individual ingredients are sometimes brought by others, but the emotions and quirky nuances of the elements give the band its own identity. This also reminds the the typical guitar bands I Like Trains, Biffy Clyro and Maybeshewill. They handle the typical post-rock methods and get names like Mono and Mogwai. The various parties and piano (electronic) strings provide not only with some regularity for the beautiful resting places, they do play the music with strong emotions. Thus they created a CD which includes both the hard and deep quiet moments that manages to hit. In all respects a very surprising album. Great class!

Sea Of Tranquility / Jordan Blum

Post-rock is always a tough nut to crack. Its inherent emphasis on abstract structures and jigsaw puzzle construction usually polarizes listeners into two camps: those who find affective brilliance within the intricate musicianship and those who are utterly bored by the often repetitive sequences. Fortunately, on its newest release, The Bloodline, Gespenst crafts masterful compositions that just about anyone should feel fit easily into the former category. Honestly, this is some of the most emotionally engaging music I've heard in a long time, and the fact that each piece offers something special (without ever including vocals) is great. Their influences include Khoma, Mono, and Maybeshewill, and I'd wager that fans of 65daysofstatic and Godspeed You! Black Emperor will find plenty to like on The Bloodline.

The Bloodline is a masterful release; its countermelodies and dynamic expertise ignite our most delicate feelings, such as of longing, regret, and nostalgia. It's obvious that the Rawl brothers went into exhausting detail to ensure that each note and timbre is perfectly placed. All in all, there's no doubt that with the right memories in mind, this album will move you to tears, and I for one can't wait to hear what Gespenst does next.

Draff Krimmy – Poetry Of Vår

1 - NATURE
2 - Tror ikke på ny revolusjon, but that doesn`t explain why you came all the way out here, all the way out here to hell
3 - Vennligst ikke parker foran porten, we are listening to a lullaby
4 - Otradnoje
5 - Hører du stillhetens klang, it`s the poetry, the poetry of war
6 - Et øyeblikk av salighet, burried at the bottom of the sea
7 - Det regner en slik regn som cleans the air
8 - Min engel
9- Matchball!
10 - Ser du, det blir mørkere and the frost makes a flower
11- Farvel vår, winter is coming

Poetry of Vår is a result of a collaboration between musicians living in 8 different countries, which included Halvard Vebjörnsson (Germany), Morfar (Norway), Rim and Kidedo (France), Void`s Anatomy (Canada), Bosques De Mi Mente (Spain), Hasta Luego Pilar (Denmark), Dylan Waller (USA) and Gargle (Japan).

The album is an experimental piece of music with a cinematic atmosphere. Standing somewhere between post-rock / ambient, listeners of Set Fire to Flames, Eluvium, Godspeed You Black Emperor and Mùm may find new tastes in the album when they meet Draff Krimmy’s ambience floating with guitars, accordion and drones.

Pascal Payant (filmmaker):
“There’s a place between time and melody. This fracture of reality blended with originality. A moment where you are left alone. Thinking of a sound, a mood, an atmosphere. This place in time is called Draff Krimmy. Alone in the bliss of dark with a glance of joy in your face. Welcome to a real ambience melody.”

Thomas Andre (musician)
“Early morning, wintertime. An eerie light brushes away the last shreds of the night. The day to come awaits, numb. It’s that time when everything seems to melt and merge, thoughts, dreams and languages alike. Draff Krimmy’s music is playing. It is mysterious and uncanny. It is this early morning melting of the senses. Echoes of instruments you recognize and the swoosh of others unknown, melodies entwined, evocative, reaching out and meeting on neutral ground. Draff Krimmy is the peaceful coming together of peoples in the Northern lights, speaking in many languages and communicating. It is the poetry of vår.”

Taner Torun (musician / producer)
“I had the same feeling when I listen to my favorite bands like Godspeed You Black Emperor and Low. Poetry of Vår is an epic listening experience to fall, rise and get lost in it.”

Martial Despre (musician)

“Listening to Draff Krimmy’s music means to accept a journey through beauty, melancholy, happiness and poetry. Through the grace of a personal vision of music which contains all the troubles and the beauties of our world. Poetry of vår is not just a musical trip, it’s more than that, it means accepting to face the beauty of musical poetry.”

”Poetry of vår burde fåes på resept!” (Poetry of vår should be available on prescription!)

REVIEWS

Caleidoscoop review by Jan Willem Broek

Draff Krimmy is the kind of project top which the label ‘band’ really does not fit well. It is much more a project in which different musicians from 8 different countries communicate with each other through music – langua...ge as music and the other way around. The musicians and/or bands that started exchanging material are Halvard Vebjörnsson (Germany), Morfar or Morten of Youth Pictures Of Florence Henderson (Norway), Rim and Kidedo (France), Void`s Anatomy (Canada), Bosques De Mi Mente (Spain), Hasta Luego Pilar (Danmark), Dylan Waller (VS), and Gargle (Japan); while the hard core of Draff Krimmy is the in Norway living German Jan, Maciek (Germany) and Mareno (Norway). The participants do not always know what instruments the others use; it is more like a natural process in which ideas and elaborations are shared and extended like in a real conversation and discussion through music. Nevertheless, a reasonably consistent and harmonious whole, covered by a mysterious veil resulted from this. Dreamlike soundscapes, made up of scraps of glitch, post-rock, electronics, experimental music, folk, lo-fi and ambient. It really is more like atmosphere than like regular music and that makes this project such extraordinarily fascinating. Electronic sounds, guitars, piano, whispered male and female vocals, accordion, field recordings, creaky sounds, samples, and lots more pass by in a serene, sometimes ghostly fashion. Rustic, but with a spooky feeling; something like that. The song titles have also become linguistic hybrids, further covering the project with a mysterious mist. The young quality label Fluttery has shown with this that they stand for innovation and guts, like they have proven with many other releases. The music by Draff Krimmy is an enjoyable middle between 2 By Bukowski, The Third Eye Foundation, Human Greed, Hood, Piano Magic, Múm, Set Fire To Flames and the related Godspeed You! Black Emperor. The poetry of this band is in all pores. Beautiful listening experience!

Zeugulator / Music will Save Us All

Eight musicians comes together to create Poetry Of Var, eight artists from eight different countries. I could say that would be at least one from Iceland, but it isn't. The sound of Draff Krimmy reminds the bands from the magical island. It's the partnership ambient and experimental, film atmosphere, spooky noises, frightening breaths, electronic props and somewhere between scattered vocals. A pack of melancholic compositions that create a special package (of music) poetry on overflowing emotions. The Poetry Of Vår is released by Fluttery Records.

InForty rewiew by Matt Bone

A collaborative project between musicians from eight different countries, it’s unsurprising that Poetry Of Vår is a very eclectic affair. The record sweeps through post rock, ambience, experimental noise, and regions more unclassifiable without much concern of coherence, whilst throwing in such things as storm samples, the whirring of a washing machine, and, weirdly enough, commentary of a tennis match. With its contrasting of the worldly and otherworldly it holds similarities to The Knife’s Tomorrow, In a Year, and is more an experiment in sonic textures than an album – though it does possess moments of conventional beauty (see the latter half of “Min Engel”).

Track List

Monochromie - Enlighten Yourself While You Sleep

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Elara - Soundtrack For a Quiet Place

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How Come The Constellations Shine - Mémoire

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Neko Nine - Summer Is You

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Amp Rive - Irma Vep

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Ana Never - Small Years

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Arms Of Tripoli - All The Fallen Embers

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La Gran Perdida de Energia - La Gran Perdida de Energia

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Gespenst - The Bloodline

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Draff Krimmy - Poetry Of Vår

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