Rosetta - Wake / Lift

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RIYL

Isis
Pelican
Mouth of the Architect
Dysrhythmia
Callisto

Tracklist

1. Red in Tooth and Claw
2. Lift (part 1)
3. Lift (part 2)
4. Lift (part 3)
5. Wake
6. Temet Nosce
7. Monument

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The year is 2017. After much lobbying, Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (did you know that Microsoft Word actually corrects you when you spell Schwarzenegger wrong?) has successfully had the US constitution altered and is now the reigning fuhrer of the United States of America and Canada. In an attempt to make contact with his mother planet, Schwarzmania, Schwarzenegger has invested trillions of dollars into NASA (National Arnold Schwarzenegger Association.) The funds are intended to help build a giant megaphone that will beam the music of the multi-platinum universally loved ambient experimental hardcore post-space-rock art-metal band Rosetta towards the astronomical coordinates of Schwarzmania, on which Schwarzenegger believes the inhabitants speak only through the lyrics and growls of Rosetta frontman Mike Armine, thus in essence making Rosetta the first band ever to travel through space... and this a long and unwieldy sentence.

This prediction of the future may or may not be accurate (I’m leaning towards fairly accurate myself), only time will tell. However in all honesty, the first band ever to make it to space should, in fact, be Rosetta with their spaceman inspired music. If not them, then it should be Stars of the Lid, who I’m sure Rosetta wouldn’t mind sharing a spacecraft with since they site Stars of the Lid as a big influence. In fact, you can think of Rosetta’s music as somewhat sounding like a collaboration between Stars of the Lid and Isis that is only going to be released on vinyl in Saturn’s atmosphere. This extra Stars of the Lid like element is what makes Rosetta so special. Beneath all that brooding metal and guttural growls are layers of electronic samples and instrumental meanderings that create a beautiful lush soundscape missing in all of the other post-metal bands.

Rosetta’s debut album The Galilean Satellites is arguably the best album ever released in its genre. That might be a hefty and likely inaccurate statement, but on The Galilean Satellites, the band simply created sounds that the rest of the genre couldn’t even conjure up and released it in the genre’s most ambitious effort to date (a double disc quasi-quadraphonic album.)

So how does their latest album Wake/Lift stack up against its predecessor? Well, to be fair, it gets crushed. However, that’s only the case because The Galilean Satellites was just so massive, brutal, and for lack of a better word, epic. Wake/Lift, though it shows a matured band with better songwriting, just lacks the oomph The Galilean Satellites had. This is not to say that Wake/Lift is a poor album. Ah, hell no! Wake/Lift is a very good album that crushes most of its contemporaries.

On Wake/Lift, Rosetta has kept their general scheme – crushing metal epics interlaced with ambient meanderings – relatively similar to their past effort. However, there seems to be two major differences between the two albums. The vocals on Wake/Lift seem to be recorded much lower on average than on The Galilean Satellites. What gave The Galilean Satellites that oomph as described before was that the vocals carried so much raw emotional energy that when they hovered above the music they left you with such a punched in the gut feeling. However, this time around, though the vocals are still those great manly growls, they seem to lose their energy when they get jumbled along in the music. Despite this being said, it’s the low vocals on the album’s closer “Monument,” especially around the two minute mark when the growls alternate between channels and reinforce the lyrics over and over, that make that track so great.

The second difference is likely the most notable: the album is overall a bit softer and less technical then its predecessor. You can think of it as a slight trade off between metal and post-rock in favor for more of the latter. Nonetheless, this is by no means a lightweight album.

Overall, if you’re looking for music for spacemen or something that will wake you and then conveniently lift you up, then by all means get this album. If you have never listened to Rosetta, then get The Galilean Satellites and immediately follow that up with Wake/Lift.

--Armand Babian

Author

babarm87
Last updated: 09/29/2009 08:59PM

Comments

Sins Of Arcadia
10/02/2007
07:49AM
Age: 27
Location
Florida, USA
The first song is utterly amazing. The Lift trilogy is basically useless and the last song is borderline terrible. Temet Nosce is quite good and relaxing, though it goes on a bit too long. Wake is average but enjoyable.

In other words, listen to The Galilean Satellites instead.
tim
10/02/2007
07:53AM
Age: 28
Location
Green Brook, NJ
this is such an overrated band.
Great Refuser
10/02/2007
07:54AM
Age: 32
Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Great album.
cloudscollide
10/02/2007
08:59AM
Age: 23
Location
PA
Great review. You really captured their spacey elements. I disagree with two things though and one of them is going to shock you. Although I love Galilean Satellites, I enjoy Wake/Lift better. I bought both CDs, and I've listened to them several times each and I still like Wake/Lift better.

This might just be because of my personal music preference = I FUCKING LOVE SPACEY MUSIC. Galilean Satellites doesn't touch Wake/Lift as far as atmosphericness goes. I honestly feel like i'm floating when I hear like the intro to Lift part 3, or Temet Nosce.

Another thing is, I find the fact that his vocals being mixed under the music is a great idea, especially for this record. GS was a bit heavier musically so his powerful voice fits well over that record, but for this time around the music is at times so much more angelic and beautiful, so his extremely barbaric and masculin voice sounds perfect under the music, and it's just as emotional sounding.

But anyways, great review. This album is a 4.5 for me and it's currently in my top like 5 of the year. They never post the lyrics in their album art so i'm waiting for them to be posted on their website. Looking forward to reading them.

Music Blog.
Depths blog. (my band)

ChaosResolved
10/02/2007
01:22PM
Location
NY/PA
cloudscollide
Galilean Satellites doesn't touch Wake/Lift as far as atmosphericness goes.


I take it that you never listened to disc 2 of GS?
cloudscollide
10/02/2007
01:23PM
Age: 23
Location
PA
Of course I did. I also listened to the Cleansing Undertones of Wake/Lift disc that came along with Wake/Lift.

Music Blog.
Depths blog. (my band)

Sins Of Arcadia
10/02/2007
01:54PM
Age: 27
Location
Florida, USA
I think The Galilean Satellites is much more atmospheric than Wake/Lift, just in a different way. I feel like I'm floating through space while being punched in the fucking mouth while listening to TGS.
iamhollywood
10/02/2007
03:00PM
Location
australia
while i love this album. i still prefer tgs. listening to both those discs at the same time is truly amazing.
sir mix-a-lot
10/02/2007
05:04PM
Location
Sacramento, CA
i too am more impressed by the galilean satellites, but no one should be selling this disc short for any reason. except tim. tim gets exceptions to all things.

I'm not here to make things better; only to observe and pass judgement.

Originally stated by Scott Miller
It's like talking into a mirror!
Bells and Whistles
10/03/2007
10:19AM
Location
Edmonton, AB
this album would be alot more enjoyable if the drums sounded better
cloudscollide
10/03/2007
11:02AM
Age: 23
Location
PA
I like the sound of the drums, now. At first I didn't. On TGS the cymbals sound really bad...almost like fake digital cymbals. It's just a sudden splash and no ring to the crash cymbals. Wake/Lift was analog recorded so it's got some what of a raw and old school type sound to it, which I like.

Music Blog.
Depths blog. (my band)

ATOMIChaelBOMB
10/03/2007
11:16AM
Age: 31
Location
Claremont, CA
on first listen, it sounds kind of murky...somewhat hard to distinguish instruments, and the vocals are definitely buried deep within the sound. it is more than likely the effect they were going for though. despite these production choices, it sounds really good so far. TGS is such a brilliant album, and SO hard to sync up two media players to get the right timing.
cyanide2600
10/03/2007
04:50PM
Location
Finland
I'm really starting to like this album.


sir mix-a-lot
10/03/2007
05:23PM
Location
Sacramento, CA
definite "problems" with the mix on this album, but you can absolutely tell it is exactly what they intended. also, to that guy who thinks the lift tracks are worthless, DUDE WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK? DID YOU NOT HEAR PART 3???

love this disc more with each listen. at first, i definitely thought it paled in comparison to galilean, massively so. but i threw it on last night while driving with one headlight and three blinkers and shit was amazing.

I'm not here to make things better; only to observe and pass judgement.

Originally stated by Scott Miller
It's like talking into a mirror!
Sins Of Arcadia
10/03/2007
06:05PM
Age: 27
Location
Florida, USA
Yes, I heard part three... Goes along with the whole 'trilogy' thing.. I listened to the album three times. The only great song is the first one.
Sins Of Arcadia
10/03/2007
06:06PM
Age: 27
Location
Florida, USA
ATOMIChaelBOMB
SO hard to sync up two media players to get the right timing.

That's why you download a version in which someone else has properly synced them for you ;-)
ATOMIChaelBOMB
10/03/2007
06:15PM
Age: 31
Location
Claremont, CA
Sins Of Arcadia
That's why you download a version in which someone else has properly synced them for you ;-)


alright alright, so it's not THAT hard...the trick is getting both players (e.g. itunes and realplayer) right next to eachother so their play/pause buttons are in close proximity, then click one, move the cursor, click the other. at most you'll have like 1/16th of a second delay. maybe 1/8th if you ride the short bus.
xRinox
10/05/2007
03:58PM
Age: 31
Location
San Borja, Lima, Perú
It's obvious they wanted the album to sound like this... and as I've said before, the low production thing these days is a nice addition!
Lift 3 owns and then Wake as well. Thank you decoy!
monkeybars
10/06/2007
10:29AM
Age: 25
Location
Markham, ON
ATOMIChaelBOMB
SO hard to sync up two media players to get the right timing.


What is supposed to be synced up here? Both there albums at the same time or something? I'm interested in hearing this...

P.S. This is what the alphabet would look like if you removed Q and R.

cloudscollide
10/06/2007
10:35AM
Age: 23
Location
PA
monkeybars
What is supposed to be synced up here? Both there albums at the same time or something? I'm interested in hearing this...


Rosetta's first LP comes with two discs. You can play them at the same time or just find a download on the internet of them synched up together.

Music Blog.
Depths blog. (my band)

monkeybars
10/06/2007
12:10PM
Age: 25
Location
Markham, ON
Neat, I'll have to try that out.

P.S. This is what the alphabet would look like if you removed Q and R.

monkeybars
10/06/2007
02:38PM
Age: 25
Location
Markham, ON
Wow, so I just listened to this, and holy shit. It's amazing. My only fear now is I've never heard either CD played independently, and I feel they'll feel very empty without the other album complimenting it.

P.S. This is what the alphabet would look like if you removed Q and R.

sir mix-a-lot
10/06/2007
04:41PM
Location
Sacramento, CA
nah, they stand on their own really well.

I'm not here to make things better; only to observe and pass judgement.

Originally stated by Scott Miller
It's like talking into a mirror!