post rock / dream pop
While publishing the reviews written by Wagner and Patsker, I played this new album by Townsville, Australia based one-man post rock act Mesozoic. I remembered his sound from his 2014 album 'Welcome, Girl. Our Second Sun Shines for You', while Wagner took care of 'We Create Because All Will End'. Both of us were quite impressed by what Owen Davis had produced so both albums came highly recommended. Now Mesozoic returns with 'Earth Alone', firmly following his own path within the world of slow and atmospheric music. This new album shows a matured sound, and once again I'm hoping for a full-band performance in the near future but that probably won't happen.
The album opens with 'Synodic' which rather quickly sets the tone: strong, potent post rock, laced with ambient soundscapes. The track seems to doubt between being a full song or a mere intro but that doesn't spoil the fun. On the contrary. It promises good things to come. 'Always The Same' is one of those good things. Mostly thanks to the subdued vocals, this songs balances between post rock and dreampop. Someone is a Slowdive-fan, I guess. Yet, this first real highlight is the single 'Suns', a classic post rock anthem, honoring the blissful tradition of the genre. Someone is also a God Is An Astronaut fan, I think, but that's perfectly fine.
'The Earth Alone Will Outlast Us All' is a lengthy track with vocal samples and heaps of atmosphere. This is pretty much how blind people watch movies, and I suggest you close your eyes while playing this song. A strange and warning story will unfold while the lingering guitars guide the way. So far, this album already shows plenty of variation, and then there is 'Sidereal', a downtempo electronics tune that nudges more towards Boards Of Canada than to Explosions In The Sky. This one too seems to doubt between being a full song or a tweener but most of all it's just a nice tune to listen to.
The second part of this album continues Mesozoic's typical post rock sound. 'Wax' is another one of my favorites here, often reminding me of A Swarm Of The Sun. With the last track, that ambient tune '/Wane', Mesozoic seems to hint towards Cocteau Twins, which might explain the elements from shoegaze and dreampop in the album. Yet, for the most part, this simply is an excellent post-rock record, containing all the right elements and coming with a decent dose of variation. I can only recommend this one to all you post-rockers out there. Mesozoic is a strong force and one that deserves to be heard.
Serge
The album opens with 'Synodic' which rather quickly sets the tone: strong, potent post rock, laced with ambient soundscapes. The track seems to doubt between being a full song or a mere intro but that doesn't spoil the fun. On the contrary. It promises good things to come. 'Always The Same' is one of those good things. Mostly thanks to the subdued vocals, this songs balances between post rock and dreampop. Someone is a Slowdive-fan, I guess. Yet, this first real highlight is the single 'Suns', a classic post rock anthem, honoring the blissful tradition of the genre. Someone is also a God Is An Astronaut fan, I think, but that's perfectly fine.
'The Earth Alone Will Outlast Us All' is a lengthy track with vocal samples and heaps of atmosphere. This is pretty much how blind people watch movies, and I suggest you close your eyes while playing this song. A strange and warning story will unfold while the lingering guitars guide the way. So far, this album already shows plenty of variation, and then there is 'Sidereal', a downtempo electronics tune that nudges more towards Boards Of Canada than to Explosions In The Sky. This one too seems to doubt between being a full song or a tweener but most of all it's just a nice tune to listen to.
The second part of this album continues Mesozoic's typical post rock sound. 'Wax' is another one of my favorites here, often reminding me of A Swarm Of The Sun. With the last track, that ambient tune '/Wane', Mesozoic seems to hint towards Cocteau Twins, which might explain the elements from shoegaze and dreampop in the album. Yet, for the most part, this simply is an excellent post-rock record, containing all the right elements and coming with a decent dose of variation. I can only recommend this one to all you post-rockers out there. Mesozoic is a strong force and one that deserves to be heard.
Serge
