ambient / post rock
When I started this website some five years ago, one of the first things I noticed were the one man post rock bands. It seemed like every town around this planet had its own weird loner making atmospheric tunes on his bedroom. Many of them had become quite good at it, too. Yet, throughout the years those one man acts seemed to have vanished, or at least disappeared from our attention span. Of course, many other things happened here at Merchants Of Air but I started to miss them, even though I was not really aware of that. What I'm trying to say here, is: I feel like this album brings me back to the early days of Merchants Of Air, where we supported even the loneliest of talents.
Almøst Silent is G.Teixeira, residing in France and successfully locking himself up in a Parisian room to create a gentle mix between down tempo, ambient and post rock. 'Swamp Tales' is a lengthy album, containing fourteen tracks, including a few intermezzos ("Fills & Gaps"). It all begins with 'Black Moose', which calmly lures you into the world of Almøst Silent. That world is one of rest and friendliness. Nothing on this album is heavy or intense ('Curse Of Relationship' being the perfect counterexample of that statement). Instead, Almøst Silent mainly goes for a warm and comforting sound. With (mostly) programmed drums and soothing soundscapes, Teixeira creates a meandering foundation to paint guitar loops and piano riffs.
In the opening paragraph I mentioned something about some of these acts being really good at what they do. Well, Almøst Silent certainly belongs in that category. Once again, I can see this music enchant the audience in the forest at Dunk! Fest, should Teixeira decide to bring a band or find a way to perform this beautiful music live. 'So Low', for example, is such a sweet tune, perfectly capable of sending people on their way to a beautiful daydream. I don't know if that is every going to happen, but we can only hope, can we?
Another aspect I really dig, besides the excellent performance of vintage post rock, are the guitar licks. Here and there, as in the brilliant 'Leaving Jupiter Is Not An Option', these guitars bring something progressive rock-ish to the mix. These also showcase the splendid storytelling qualities of Almøst Silent. A Swarm Of The Sun comes to mind, mainly because of the way these songs build-up. I guess that's a huge compliment. 'Swamp Water' is truly worthy of that comparison and one of my favorites on this album.
'Because That's A Glitched One' comes up with the Boards Of Canada-esque beats, arguably the most electronic sounding of them all on this album. They guide an array of guitar-scapes and keys, turning it into another favorite of mine. But, I guess, that's mostly because this album is just so easy to become enthusiastic about. Almøst Silent delivered something worthwhile, a solid statement of how well one-man post rock bands can actually become. 'Swamp Tales' is a great album, one that many post rock and downtempo fans alike might appreciate.
Serge
Almøst Silent is G.Teixeira, residing in France and successfully locking himself up in a Parisian room to create a gentle mix between down tempo, ambient and post rock. 'Swamp Tales' is a lengthy album, containing fourteen tracks, including a few intermezzos ("Fills & Gaps"). It all begins with 'Black Moose', which calmly lures you into the world of Almøst Silent. That world is one of rest and friendliness. Nothing on this album is heavy or intense ('Curse Of Relationship' being the perfect counterexample of that statement). Instead, Almøst Silent mainly goes for a warm and comforting sound. With (mostly) programmed drums and soothing soundscapes, Teixeira creates a meandering foundation to paint guitar loops and piano riffs.
In the opening paragraph I mentioned something about some of these acts being really good at what they do. Well, Almøst Silent certainly belongs in that category. Once again, I can see this music enchant the audience in the forest at Dunk! Fest, should Teixeira decide to bring a band or find a way to perform this beautiful music live. 'So Low', for example, is such a sweet tune, perfectly capable of sending people on their way to a beautiful daydream. I don't know if that is every going to happen, but we can only hope, can we?
Another aspect I really dig, besides the excellent performance of vintage post rock, are the guitar licks. Here and there, as in the brilliant 'Leaving Jupiter Is Not An Option', these guitars bring something progressive rock-ish to the mix. These also showcase the splendid storytelling qualities of Almøst Silent. A Swarm Of The Sun comes to mind, mainly because of the way these songs build-up. I guess that's a huge compliment. 'Swamp Water' is truly worthy of that comparison and one of my favorites on this album.
'Because That's A Glitched One' comes up with the Boards Of Canada-esque beats, arguably the most electronic sounding of them all on this album. They guide an array of guitar-scapes and keys, turning it into another favorite of mine. But, I guess, that's mostly because this album is just so easy to become enthusiastic about. Almøst Silent delivered something worthwhile, a solid statement of how well one-man post rock bands can actually become. 'Swamp Tales' is a great album, one that many post rock and downtempo fans alike might appreciate.
Serge
