At the Soundawn - Shifting
Rating
RIYL
NeurosisText
Mogwai
Isis
Release Date
04/27/2010
Label
Lifeforce RecordsTracklist
1. Mudra: In Acceptance and Regret2. 7th Moon
3. Caofedian
4. Drifting Lights
5. Black Waves
6. Hades
7. Prometheus Bring Us the Fire
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It would be way too easy to just label At The Soundawn’s Shifting a post-metal record and be done with it, as is invariably the case with so many releases these days. I understand the marketing aspect, where labels feel that they need to categorize their bands to have them appeal to a certain demographic, and in a way, At The Soundawn are sonic cousins to post-metal forbears like Isis, with more than a few overt cues coming from the post-rock school. But, like the bands that really stand out in either post-rock or post-metal, they do not adhere to a strict pattern, thus the album title Shifting is more than appropriate. Marking an attempt at a paradigm shift, the record blurs the lines between post-rock and post-metal, with more than a few stylistic twists and turns thrown in for good measure.
Witness “Mudra: In Acceptance and Regret,” the album opener. Beginning with a few sparse bars, the band immediately launches into pretty standard post-metal territory, combining aggression with some swirling backing guitar. Before long, however, the song quickly collapses into a state of subdued, almost spacey, oblivion eventually evolving into a sort of lounge jazz feel that Glassjaw experimented with on the El Mark EP. The song ends with another build-up to a more driving tempo before shifting into some somber, reflective ambient instrumentals. “Mudra” gives way to “7th Moon,” which finds At The Soundawn sounding a bit like Neurosis at their more tribal. “Caofedian” is the bastard son of Sigur Ros and Neurosis and “Drifting Lights” mines Middle Eastern and Indian soundscapes for inspiration.
Though “Black Waves” is more in line with the usual post-metal crowd, it is probably the best song on the album. “Hades” alternates between some more post-rock elements and an Isis vibe before ultimately settling on a musical idea that sounds like it was pulled from the Taxi Driver soundtrack. The record ends with “Prometheus Bring Us the Fire,” the most accessible song on the disc, and incidentally also one of the strongest. It contains the most overt metallic moments, and yet the washes of ambient guitar complement the proceedings remarkably well. It is a good choice to end the album with.
Shifting’s strength lies in the whole. The track sequencing is strong, as each song flows well with the next. Running the gamut from the Isis comparison to the avant-garde bent of a band like Text, there is enough experimentation here to make the record an interesting listen. Though Shifting probably won’t be the most earth-shattering thing you’ve heard, give At The Soundawn credit for not lazily falling back on tried-and-true methods for writing a post-metal album.
--Jake Oliver
Comments
Fishers, Indiana
I totally missed this review, but saw the banner ad we had running and checked em out eventually. Grrrrreat album.
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Minnesota
Yeah, I haven't gotten around to listening to this yet either, but it's on my list of albums to think about picking up.
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Fishers, Indiana
Do it. That first song is worth it in itself.
Top Albums: 2011 | 2010 | 2009 || Tumblr | Twitter
Minnesota
Finally got around to this... extremely late. It has some great moments, but then there are stretches where I'm really bored or feel like the band is going nowhere. If they could focus, they'd be amazing.
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