How Comes The Constellations Shine – Belongs To Mafra

Originally called Purfect, ” How Comes The Constellations Shine ” was formed in Lisbon, Portugal in 2005. Constellations was founded by guitarist Gonçalo Pereira. Working by himself, he completed most of the Constellations future songs. By late 2005 Pereira began the search for band members. The first to join was fellow drummer and long time friend André Abreu. Soon afterwards the two musicians linked up with bassist Nuno Mendonça and guitarist Tito Silva. In 2007 the band announced the departure of Mendonça in January. In 2008 Nuno Fragoso was recruited for Mub Festival concert and stays in the band. The group disbanded in early 2010.

Currently How Comes The Constellations Shine returned to the original form just with Gonçalo Pereira. Pereira also has releases on Fluttery Records under the moniker Diamond Gloss. Diamond Gloss' debut album Bears received great reviews all around the world.

Belongs To Mafra brings some changes to How Comes The Constellations Shine’s sound. While song structures on this album are the same as the ones that can be found on previous works, the sound has been toned down a little bit, and the piano takes further action on the whole album, allowing the guitars to work like strings ensemble.

REVIEWS

A Closer Listen / Richard Allen

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. Last year, Pereira introduced another solo project known as Diamond Gloss; Bears was one of the year’s best electronic entries, an album of mourning suffused with a quiet beauty and a childlike grace. Perhaps it was through this venture that Pereira decided to revisit How Comes the Constellations Shine, and to “tone it down”, as the press release indicates. This turns out to have been a very good idea, because this post-rock is tender and thoughtful, deeper in emotion than typically encountered in the field.

A leftover sadness – a muted melancholy – carries over from Bears, although few would pinpoint other comparisons. The music box timbres of that album are absent here; as expected, guitar is the primary instrument. Piano, drums, and light electronics are also present, and mesh well with their friends. It’s easy to play well with others when the others are alternate versions of one’s self. The multi-tracking creates such a convincing illusion that it’s unlikely Pereira will invite the other band members to return any time soon; in terms of the studio, they are simply not needed.

While many post-rock albums deal in crescendoes, Belongs to Mafra flourishes best in bursts - the moments in which the cymbals crash and complete the instrumentation. ”Untitled Three” contains a particularly nice set of these, each one a bit louder, snares establishing a military cadence while the bass booms in response. The percussion of the following track sounds like troops on the march; perhaps these are not good times in Portugal. Many of the other tracks – all untitled – eschew the drums in order to concentrate on mood. The best of these – “Untitled Eight” – makes use of flight communication in order to establish a dramatic base. But the album’s best piece is the tenderhearted “Untitled Nine”, the album’s closest link to Bears. This selection operates as a lullaby, with soft electronics and a soothing guitar melody, morphing gently each time it recurs.

Technically, a band with one member can never “break up”, so it’s safe to say that How Comes the Constellations Shine is here to stay, or at least is free to stick around as long as it (he) wants. Whatever guise Pereira chooses to take, we’re glad that he’s returned.

Mescaline Injection / Bastian

Portuguese Iceberg-Rock

An instrument is worth a thousand words. Sure, one can say that about a lot of post-rock bands and the Portuguese aren’t an exception. Or are they? They don’t handle their instruments like most of the others. In the 10 nameless songs they play the guitars like a string section – without a bow, but even fingers seem to manage this change of character. These shimmering strings and reverbs nearly bath in virulent melancholy while the piano secretly takes over the dominant part within the songs.

They are accompanied by lost voice-samples and small sound-shenanigans, which give the album a pleasant electronica touch. And how does this feel? Nearly as good as the calm moments of ARCTIC PLATEAUs debut album. Like the Italian the Portuguese know about writing gentle and sensitive post-rock-pieces with a definitive shoe-gaze influence which create a enchanting atmosphere. Beautiful album! (Translated by Matthias Brinkmann)

Absolute Zero Media / Clint Listing

So I'm label mates with these fine gentlemen and what we have is a collection of very personal minimalist Post Rock/ Ambient Rock track with haunting guitars, piano , strings and very minimalist percussion. They almost remind me of the more primitive Sigur Ros or Hrsta. I know there are those of you out there that call this style of music Dream pop but its far more then that. There is an epic side to How come the Constellations Shine. It becomes Orchestral and yes even at times sounds like the band Caspian to my ears. This band knows how to move the soul as well as mind. Though they do sound like over a dozen bands before them. Its a fantastic chronicle of the Post Rock sound and adventure all should take some time in the future.

Seven Nines And Tens – Habitat 67

Seven Nines and Tens is a post-metal act from Vancouver / BC, Canada with their references to Math Rock, Sludge rock, Doom Rock, Hardcore, Pop Punk, Jazz, and Black Metal. Discorder Magazine says "The amount of innovation and talent that this trio brings to their compositions is simply staggering. Seven Nines and Tens prove without a doubt, that they are a force to be reckoned with, in this, or any other galaxy."

The band Seven Nines and Ten were assembled in 2008 by guitarist David Cotton with bassist Earl Heath joining in October 2009. St. Patrick’s day 2010 saw Riley Roukema joined as drummer. In 2012 they had their place among the united nations of Fluttery Records.

Seven Nines and Tens' debut album “Habitat 67” alerts the listener by way of sound that the time is upon them to leave their mortal body for 45 minutes of calculated guitar driven space aged motifs and thoroughly enveloping tides of melodic grandiosity.

REVIEWS

Discorder / James Olson

With their latest release, Habitat 67, Seven Nines and Tens offer a visceral fusion of progressive metal and ethereal space rock, and the amount of innovation and talent that this four-piece brings to their compositions is simply staggering.

To call their riffs titanic would be an understatement. The closing passage of “Crystalline Xanthine Alkaloid” threatens to crush the unprepared listener under its sheer colossal heaviness. However, the album finds its dynamics with songs like, “I Grow Tired,” the most melodic track on the record, which reminds me of Porcupine Tree, with its great sense of quiet/loud dynamics that accompany its winding, intertwining soft passages.
The group keep things interesting by occasionally trading off their heaviness for more subtle jazzy jams, like “Retrograde Orbit,” and by utilizing their great ear for dynamics to mix in gentle, almost soothing, shoe-gaze inspired guitar-work within their brutal, sonic heaviness.

The addition of keyboards also deserves notice as it adds immensely to the intergalactic atmosphere of the album, providing an ambient yet simultaneously melodic backdrop for the group’s twin guitar attack.
Habitat 67 is eclectic, challenging and at times and strikingly beautiful. With this latest effort, Seven Nines and Tens prove without a doubt, that they are a force to be reckoned with, in this, or any other galaxy.

Caleidoscoop / Jan Willem Broek

The international record label Fluttery continues to surprise me with their new musical discoveries. They are true connoisseurs when it comes to innovative post-rock, but the limit does not stop there. Even more experimental and electronic oriented bands find their shelter. Now they come with the album Habitat 67 of the Canadian band Seven Nines And Tens. The men from Vancouver starts their album with the song in which the title also refers to a particular apartment in Montreal, with tight metal full of great riffs and double bass drums and that reminds me of Isis. But they suddenly switch from the metal back on the post-rock, so you just tap on the wrong foot is put. The band consists of Dave Cotton (guitar), Earl Heath (bass, drums) and Roukema Riley (drums, bass). They make their music far more spatial by the use of the synthesizer and samples. Throughout the album several genres like doom rock, space rock, free jazz, hardcore, math rock, shoegaze, punk and experimental music flirts. Each time switching them in a surprising manner, the metal sound is formed. So much happens in their music and you do not miss the singing. The trio's greatest strength lies in the variety they make and in between the tracks and the ease with which they move from one genre to another tack, and indeed their control. Post-metal is probably the term that best covers the music. Apart from Isis, you mostly think of the music of Porcupine Tree, Black Sabbath, Primus, My Dying Bride, Slowdive and Don Caballero. A powerful and vivacious album!

The Dirty Lowdown / Robert Carraher

Metalunderground.com advised that "Seven Nines and Tens is one of the most underrated progressive/experimental acts in the city.” The band does come off on this album as more of a progressive metal presentation.

The album is totally instrumental, no lyrics and though metal isn’t somewhere my aural tastes hang out at often, I found the album stimulating. The guitar work, heavy at time as you’d expect, can be melodic and expressive. The song compositions are very intricate and production is calculated.They are up and comers and could be a force to be reckoned with. On the heavy side of post-rock / post-metal and indie rock.

Guilty Forest / Akasaka Takahiro

As I’ve introduced some of the Fluttery Records’ releases, I think Seven Nines And Tens – instrumental post-metal trio from Canada – is the band which sound is the most edgy. This is a post-metal album released on Fluttery Records in 2012. While tranquility of post-rock is appeared throughout the album, their sound is thoroughly based on heaviness of post-metal with focusing on simple and tight arrangement.

Although their sound is seemingly under the influence of post-metal and post-rock, the length of each song is not so long. They create songs based on the tight and trimmed arrangements. What is underlying in their sound is not just magnificence of post-metal but rather core sounds of heaviness and tranquility of post-rock, and its music is not based on too much of argumentative technicality. However, in their arrangement, there is stately heaviness that is emerging from the destructive sound, and heavy post-metal parts drift to clean parts smoothly. Having keeping the beauty of the tight ensemble, the flowing beautiful melodies come along throughout the songs. And by its clean and heavy sound, the brilliance in songs has varied like a prism. Also what’s remarkable with their sound is the taste of math-rock. They use a lot of complicated phrases such as irregular meters, transitions and modulations especially on the post-metal toned songs, and that makes their music tinged with math rock. That’s because why there is a good tense feeling in their riffs. And such riffs make me a thrill. Not like jumping from tranquility into epic, nor not like rushing to peripeteia, they’ve crashed and regenerated the riffs and tight beats here and there. And that’s why they could have created the sound as if it is growing by cell division. While the album varies on each song with some post-rock toned songs or some simple phrases, as a whole it is a clearly well-disciplined album derived from perpetual changes. Such sort of lucidity is another attractive aspect to me and moreover various explosions are sparked in songs. Even on a roaring post-rock tune appearing at the end of the album, their solid arrangement is consistent.

In the post-metal and post-rock scenes nowadays, I think one characteristic is that they are stoic on their both beautiful and sludge phrases, and they have succeeded to express directly the catharsis and tense feeling with their accomplished ensembles. They might appeal to the people who like Pelican. Destructive power dwells in their music for sure because of their tight arrangement derived from only really-required sounds.

Gargle – Glow In The Gloom

"Glow in the Gloom" is the production of talented Japanese duo Gargle. They offer instrumental music combining mixed emotions as if which is trying to express a gleam of light in the darkness. They create cinematic music using huge range of dynamics based on the sounds of guitar, accordion and piano mixed with the layers of ambient sounds. Their music is commonly categorized as ambient, post-rock, experimental and modern classical music, however, as the lines between each genre have been becoming blurred nowadays, their music is differing from typical music of each category.

The sounds are sometimes cinematic and dynamic, and the sensitive and pathetic melodies are running through the sounds as if looking for literally a glow in the gloom. The sentiments of the songs are enhanced by the emotional sounds of strings coming in the middle of the songs.

The opening track "Presage" is a fine example; It's not just post-rock or ambient. It's not a classical music composition. It might be not correct to see it as a mixture of all three. The track has its own structure and its own beauty. While the album contains diverse aspects of sound, it has a consistent uniformity that will appeal to people’s emotions.

Gargle are Jun Minowa and Satoshi Ikeda. All you hear is performed by Gargle and Kei Sunayama on contrabass and Yoko Ikeda on violins. The label owner of Fluttery Records, Taner Torun tells that the number of people involved in the recording process is small but what Gargle achieves in this album is very remarkable. After the recording sessions, the album is mastered by Chihei Hatakeyama.

REVIEWS

A Closer Listen / Richard Allen

A little alliteration is present in the hard “g” sounds of the title and band, but a soft “g” might have been more fitting since Glow in the Gloom is an album of smoother edges. The press release touts “sensitive and pathetic melodies” looking for the light, a lovely description apart from the fact that “pathos-filled” might have been a better term: the same root word without the negative connotations. Glow in the Gloom may be an album of deep emotion, but there’s nothing pathetic about it. It sounds exactly like the season in which it was released, a work that first announces, then fulfills its intentions.

Japan’s Jun Minowa and Satoshi Ikeda form the core of Gargle, and are joined here by Kei Sunayama on contrabass and Yoko Ikeda on violin. Adding these instruments to the guitar, accordion, piano and (occasional) glockenspiel makes Gargle seem like a full band, especially when the post-rock rushes arrive at the end of key songs such as “Presage” and “The Bleak Sky That Shimmers”. The video for “Presage” (seen below) communicates exactly what the band is trying to get across: the struggle to cross from the gloom to the glow. But not every track is a forward march; others contribute context, adding to the richness of the overall production. It’s also nice to see how the closing piece relates to the opener; as an ambient version of “Presage”, “Phenomenon #1″ provides a sense of completion, wrapping the album in a tidy vine.

Glow in the Gloom isn’t just about spring, but about hope. The mood is positive throughout; there’s no doubt that these sprouts are going to get through, that the cotyledons (new vocabulary word!) are going to emerge. Even the most pathos-filled passage – the final five minutes of “Meditation” – seem irrepressible. Ikeda’s violin leads the charge to the light, which explodes in the 8th minute like a sunburst. Goodbye, gloom! Greetings, glow!

Sleepstream – A Waltz With The Seventh Crane

Sleepstream’s debut album “A Waltz with the Seventh Crane”. Powering from their post-rock, experimental, ambient and progressive influences, the band comes to testify there is more happening in Greece than a crisis.

When nostalgia meets with everyday life, when you feel that you don't belong to the reality around you, and crave for the little things to give you a glimpse of joy, then it is created the time and space capsule that gives you ways out for the soul.

This is when the "A waltz with the Seventh Crane" album comes along. The deeply melancholic and warm rythmic parts, give space to the guitars to move all around, like melodic night flies lured by the dim light of the haunted violin's strings.

Their only purpose is to find their way to the Light, where they fire up, bursting to a huge explosion of melodies, as they waltz along with the seventh crane, the capsule traveling them with the speed of light, where those who meet the end of this journey find their rest, and prepare for their new adventures.

It is "Sleepstream", who by their debut album, find a space between post-rock, classical and progressive influences, to unfold with honesty and simplicity their aspect of "the mood and soul in music", taking the listener aboard in the restless band's search for ascension.

Inner Trip – Somewhere Near The Pulse

Fluttery Records is the home of many creative artists from all over the world. The label is now releasing the debut album of Inner Trip from Iran. 'Inner Trip' is the musical solo project of Saman N (born 1984, graphic artist and musician), on which he started to work since the spring 2011.

The project's musical genre was based on cinematic soundtracks in which there were multiple influences from other genres like 'Modern classical', 'Ambient', 'Electronic', 'Trip Hop'. However, Saman N's unique style of musicality also made 'Inner Trip' an "Experimental" project in the sense of musical genre. Beside of transferring his sole feelings to the audience, Saman N has quoted attempts to produce a music which could create strong visualizations for them.

'Inner Trip' started with the production of 'Somewhere Near The Pulse' album which was composed, recorded and produced from winter 2010 to summer 2011, an album with seven tracks and 46:49 length.

It is an album with seven pieces based-on cinematic and emotional atmosphere with lots of strange musical elements which are gathered to depict a dreamy dramatic story. He says “It's like a prophecy because there is no flat line to follow, no definite structure but that's all about a way to represent an inner world while strings, drums, woodwinds and electronic sounds combine to make a wide scene in the front of listener.”

As Saman N. quoted that during the production of "Somewhere Near The Pulse", he always tried to free himself by listening solely to the inspirations inside him and allowed these elements to shape his music as it should be. Therefore, he has called this album as an interesting risk in his artistic profile. Close your eyes , turn up the volume a bit and let the dreams began, have a good trip!

REVIEWS

Foxy Digitalis / Steve Dewhurst

Fluttery Records is releasing a wide range of adventurous music from across the globe. The label has got Greek post-rock (Sleepstream), free noise from Tokyo (the fascinatingly titled |˟˟|, which translates as ‘Gate’), electronica from St. Petersburg (Open Work Stocking) and cross-country experimental (Draff Krimmy) that results from collaborations between “members” who have never before met in person.

Inner Trip is Saman N, a one-man project based out of Tehran and he makes huge, glossy soundtracks to imaginary movies. The press release talks about the music’s ability to create visuals for the listener and it certainly does its job in that sense. From the cover image inwards, there’s an element of Hollywood Blockbuster about it all – the production values are high, the rough edges non-existent and the overall sound bombastic and widescreen. Despite the artist speaking about “[freeing] himself by listening solely to the inspirations inside him and [allowing] these elements to shape his music” and the album’s title hinting at it having been channelled from deep within, the music comes across as anything but personal. Instead these instrumentals are big, lavish crescendoing things that are more science fiction than intimate human drama. The drums are massive throughout, often clattering in to push a song on to its next movement. “Eltanin And Old Melodies” (the title itself sits uncomfortably on the fence between the enormous and the quaint) begins life as a series of synthesized strains before a gleaming guitar line and some twangy bass work take it into the realms of 1980s passion flick, all billowing curtains and the ocean reflected on muscular writhing backs. By the end there are strings, drums, piano, synths and even a glitchy electronic break down – in other words it’s a bit Jean-Michel Jarre. In places it actually reminded me a bit of Rangers if Joe Knight had won on the Lotto and jazzed his gear up a bit. Well okay, a lot. Not that Somewhere Near The Pulse isn’t impressive – that Saman N made all this alone is a feat to be admired and he’s nothing if not proficient – but it’s hard to reconcile it with notions of “inner worlds” and “his sole feelings” when it all smacks so heavily of studio wizardry. Elsewhere ‘Moonlight And Her Shoulder’ gets off to a suitably smouldering start and the elemental ‘Labyrinth’ darkens the tone with a series of drips and distant voices. This and ‘Eternity’ are the only tracks on the album that avoid the dramatic crescendo treatment and are stronger (if slightly less stirring) for it, leaving the listener to make visual decisions for themselves without the overblown sonic prompts. Maybe I’m wrong and Saman N actually made this all at home in his bedroom. If so, he’s got one hell of a bedroom.

Hypnagogue

When “Eltanin and the Old Memories,” the opening track of Inner Trip’s debut release, Somewhere Near the Pulse, glides into a bit of spy-movie-theme song cool, complete with that ever-present twangy guitar sound that apparently accompanies anyone engaged in espionage, it’s clear where the inspiration is coming from and what Inner Trip has planned. Although the Fluttery Records web site notes Somewhere Near the Pulse as post-rock with influences of modern classical and trip hop, I think it’s more contemporary instrumental, and distinctly pushed in the direction of soundtrack material. The stories are very strong here. Inner Trip’s tones and emotions are evocative, and you may find yourself setting up scenes in your head. My mental camera eases across a snow-coated wood when I hear “The Pulse of Nature”; “Moonlight and Her Shoulders” moves from contemplation to reconciliation; “Labyrinth” paces a small, untidy room, knowing something is about to happen–and expecting the worst. Iranian artist Saman N. handles all his instrumentation, whether acoustic or electronic, superbly. The mix is seamless and the range is impressive. He gets bonus points for closing out the disc with the scaled-back atmosphere of “Eternity.” After six larger and bolder pieces, he lays out a sparse, tenuous stretch of sound on the edge of ambient, again showing that mix of solid and synthetic–and once more loading it with feeling. A single, well-spaced and understated thump of percussion ominously marks the passage of time. Somewhere Near the Pulse is a very good debut that speaks of more good work to come from Inner Trip.

Kimika – Octobre

Kimika’s second album was recorded in 2010. This record exclusively instrumental comprises clever progressive and ambient melodies that are built in emotional chain reactions. One of the main features of this album is segmented in three sections namely A, B and C. “Section A” maintains a tasteful blend of harmonizing guitar melodies…

“Section B” picks up after and the integrated trilogy begins to draw greater attention. Aside from the rhythm guitars aptly complying with tradition, the drums take on the notion of a quasi-patriotic mantra that stays consistent even after the face-melting rock segment commences. Enter the guitar trills, and the song slowly reaches the point where “Section C” takes over with a gradually building and surprisingly resolute foundation. For this reason alone, Kimika deserves applause, not derision. These three songs obviously belong together as a sum fragmented into delectable episodes…”- The Silent Ballet.

Kimika – Bipolaire

Kimika’s debut LP “Bipolaire” was recorded in 2004. This album half instrumental depicts a broad range of ambiance and emotions covering a long period of writing. “Bipolaire” was warmly welcomed and gave rise to many concerts and was broadcast in many University and National Stations. This record “capture the dichotomy inherent in post-rock, not just its quiet-loud dynamic, but the parallel extremes of concordance and discordance, love and hate, ennui and ecstasy, which also constitute bipolar oppositions.”- The Silent Ballet.

Marionette ID – Alluvion

Shy, Low – Shy, Low

Shy, Low’s debut self-titled full length creates a particular atmosphere; a feeling you can’t seem to shake even hours after the album has ended. Like a collective of divine watchmakers, Shy, Low has created a dynamic universe of deep swells, dark, cathartic crescendos, and powerful emotional releases, and all the while completely lacking lyrics, inviting the listener to define and explore this universe for themselves.

Richmond, Virginia’s Shy, Low has been together just over a year and have no plans to stop. Although the art and music scenes of their hometown have been somewhat diminished by city ordinances, Shy, Low continues to play whenever they can and with two tours out of the way, they seem to show no fear of crossing borders to reach new audiences. The road is a second home to Shy, Low and whenever the opportunity arises, they’re traveling.
Shy, Low does not crave fame or fortune. Their love for music and comradery drives them to create something new and unique. As long as those things exist in unison, they will continue on the path the music paves. The latest release embodies the values and experiences of Shy, Low whilst allowing the listener to create their own meaning.

REVIEWS

A Closer Listen / Richard Allen

Fluttery Records loves classic post-rock: ambient builds, dialogue breakdowns, thick crescendoes. Shy, Low (a play on “Shiloh”, the former capital of Israel) is its latest discovery. This Richmond band gets right into it with “Confirmation Bias” (that’s Alec Baldwin in “Malice”, declaring, “I am God”) and never slows down. Here we find the martial drums, the wailing guitars, the sense of inflated urgency that typically precedes a post-rock climax. As a debut, it’s easy to like: while it’s not particularly original, it’s certainly good enough to satisfy the typical post-rock fan, and at times is reminiscent of The Seven Mile Journey. Oddly enough, Bandcamp has tagged Shy, Low as “ambient downtempo indie”, which is certainly not the case. Sure, there are a few moments of quiet, but then BOOM! ~ back to the boulder.

The rollicking beats are often the highlight of the tracks, especially as they shift into higher gear, as they do in the final two minutes of “Light Feet”. This is one drummer who earns his Gatorade. ”The Tide” should probably have been excised, as interludes featuring ocean samples are de rigueur; but the two longer tracks (“The Golden Hour” and “Farewell: A New Beginning”) make up for it. The former contains a build that occasionally slips into nothingness, allowing for dynamic contrast; a xylophone lends beauty to the end. This same instrument appears on the latter, bolstered by a bank of crushing guitars, leading the track to a satisfying finale. With this debut, the band has proven that it has the skills; the next challenge will be to stretch its wings.

Sea of Tranquility / Gert Hulshof

Post-rock is what Shy, Low create, mellow easing, soothing music, or like one of my friends once said, music of the long notes. Slowly building a song, literally crafting it brick by brick, cementing layer by cement-layer until some sort of climax is to be reached. In the meantime varying on the same schematic same notes played in diversity..

I personally have a weakness for this type of music, mostly because it usually consists of instrumental pieces, music only, leaving me my own space for creativity and allowing me to depict the stories in my own brain. Shy, Low bring the Post rock in a very mature fashion, the self titled album is their debut album it is out on Fluttery Records.

Band members Sean Doody-Ian Currie- Bryant-Gregg Peterson have succeeded in making an album containing six tracks of Post Rock of sheer excellence. A lot can be written about them, many a thing said. In my humble opinion any Post Rock fan should own this debut album.

It is all there the gigantic sound of the Post Rock genre, with great guitars, walking bass lines, all slowly working towards the massive climax. 6 tracks varying in length from just over 4 minutes to a little less than 10 minutes. All in all just a tiny bit more than 40 minutes worth of highly contagious post-rock.

Marionette ID – Emptiness Will Change Your Mind

Sound As Language

Certain bands break up and seemingly take their style of music with them when they go. I have always felt that was the case with Engine Down. The band’s brand of soothing, melodic post-hardcore was fairly original for such a crowded genre. When they folded, the band left a huge void as there seemed to be nobody else comparable in sound. Now, Hungarian band, Marionette ID has come along and made me realize just how much I love this style.

Marionette ID formed earlier this year and is touted as the ’successor’ of the Sammy Sosa Band that began in 2004. The eight songs that make up Emptiness Will Change Your Mind are a fascinating collection. Emptiness Will Change Your Mind is an album in the truest sense. These are eight pieces of a puzzle that make up a brilliant picture. There is a deliberate nature to the band’s songs as they slowly build layer upon layer and brick by brick. Subtle melodies are countered by moody instrumental passages and soothing vocals. Marionette ID possess an emotional weight and depth that truly set the band apart. This is post-hardcore at its most melodic and structured. Marionette ID are practicing a precision few bands dare to. If you are willing to give Emptiness Will Change Your Mind some time to grow, you will be richly rewarded.

Twilight Magazine

Its paradox, Marionette ID’s current album contains only 8 songs, which is why my first thought was: « Oh, what a short record. » After having pushed the play button, however, the music wouldn’t stop playing. Even though there are comparatively few songs on the album, with round about 50min, the listener is getting an above-average playing time.

But let’s talk about the band now. Marionette ID is a Hungarian combo, which opposes categorizing their music. I’ll give it a try anyways und would squeeze the guys into the Alternative/Indie/Postrock drawer. Actually, the album “Emptiness Will Change Your Mind” was recorded and released in 2008, but when the band got signed to Fluttery Records, one agreed to rerelease the album to open up a larger circle of listeners.

According to the biography, Marionette ID sticks out from the rest of today’s Alternative/Indie bands. But what is it that makes the difference? Maybe it is the unconventional timbre of the singer (“Fallin’ Farther“), the experimental-instrumental song passages (“In Silence”, “Arrival”), the honest, almost philosophical lyrics or the emotional-melodic mixture of all those components (“Disgraceful”). The answer to the question what makes the band so outstanding should be found by everybody individually. Let me make only one thing clear, with “Emptiness Will Change Your Mind”, Marionette ID succeed to create, not an entirely new, but still a very special, individual and exceptional listenable world of sounds

Postrockcommunity

marionette ID from Budapest are creating an exceptionally mix between PostRock and IndieRock. In nearly 50 minutes on 'Emptiness Will Change Your Mind' they've wrapped up 8 really good songs which incite one to sing along

C.W. Ross - Rating : 8.25 / 10

It hard to pin down the style of music played by the band because it changes depending on what song or even what part of a song you’re listening to at that particular time. You’ll hear everything from Indie and modern rock to post rock, progressive and even jam band elements in the eight songs that make up ‘Emptiness Will Change Your Mind’.

Never have I heard songs from a band that have so many different twists and turns found in them. The songs will be gently rolling along when suddenly they pick up the pace like a thirsty race car engine getting a fresh shot of nitrous oxide juice. Also several of the songs start to wind down like their getting ready to end when suddenly the guitars crank back to life and continue on for several more minutes.

The songs also have long running time with shorter tracks running in the 4-5 minute range while longer ones run in the 7-8 minute zone. With the releases last track, “In Silence”, having a whopping total running time of 9:17 minutes.

The track, “Disgraceful,” kicks things off, the song start off with light guitar and drumbeats that are left to jam free until the 1:50 mark when the vocals come to life and the pace of the song picks up.

I also have to mention the fine drum work found in the songs including some of the nicest cymbal work that I’ve heard in a long time. The hard cymbal hits found at the start of the track, “Arrival”, brings the song to life while the soft cymbal work found on the next track, “Icon Over You”, helps to add a nice softer edge to the song at the start of it.

On the releases last track, “In Silence”, if your patient and don’t hit the off button to quickly, you’ll be rewarded. After years of reviewing lots of music I’ve learned to be patient when listening to release’s last tracks because bands often like to hide little eggs of musical goodness at the end of them. On this particular track the band really makes you wait. The song ends at the 6-minute mark but if you listen to some dead air until the 7:04 mark the song gentle springs back to life with a piano part that last until the 9:12 mark when the song really comes to an end.

I know some of you are probably thinking man this dude is to anal retentive for listening to all of that dead air time but it’s what I do to help keep you better informed!

In closing, with the music that’s packed into the 8-tracks found on Marionette ID’s ‘Emptiness Will Change Your Mind’ they walk a fine line between keeping the music fresh and different while not crossing over into too much of an experimental sound that might cause the rock element found in their music to get lost in the mix.

Sirenssound

Excellent cross between Alternative and Progressive with a tip bit of post-rock influence. Turns out VERY GOOD. Give it a go. I did and I dig. Its musics like this that makes posting and writing entries fun. Solid 4 to 4.5 with GOOD vocals. Definitely look forward for more of their sound

Osterrockreview

Emptiness Will Change Your Mind.” - one of the most philosophical and creative lines to come out of rock music in recent years.

Blues Bunny

Recently reissued by Fluttery Records, "Emptiness Will Change Your Mind" is the debut album from Hungarian band Marionette ID.

Opening with "Disgraceful", it is immediately apparent that Marionette ID have brought the kind of intensity to their music that the current crop of indie rock can only aspire to. Unlike those three chord wonders, each song is allowed to develop in manner that suggests that there is a plan behind these songs and, to get the most of this band's music, you would have to listen to the album as a whole. Accordingly, although it would be unkind of me to classify this as modern day prog-rock, songs like "Arrival" and "Fallin' Farther" certainly have that languorous, almost self-indulgent, feel. The guitars are much to the fore throughout as well with the vocals seemingly relegated to the background as if to further mask the band's intentions in mystery. "Skyline" is perhaps the most accessible track drawing as it does on eighties guitar rock to make its point.

An interesting album, therefore, that would have appeal for those who like melody in their rock music or for those who seek to go further than indie rock snack food.

Track List

How Comes The Constellations Shine - Belongs To Mafra

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Seven Nines And Tens - Habitat 67

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Gargle - Glow In The Gloom

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Sleepstream - A Waltz With The Seventh Crane

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Inner Trip - Somewhere Near The Pulse

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Kimika - Octobre

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Kimika - Bipolaire

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Marionette ID - Alluvion

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Shy, Low - Shy, Low

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Marionette ID - Emptiness Will Change Your Mind

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