Matthew Tsai
07/16/09, 10:53 AM
Sunlight Ascending – All the Memories, All at Once
Release Date: July 14, 2009
Record Label: Future Recordings
Detroit, Michigan's Sunlight Ascending has me, as a post-rock consumer, all figured out. The band writes very straight-forward, dare I say easy, crescendo-rock powerhouse numbers that are really all I want in an average crave of the genre. On All The Memories, All At Once, dragging, ostentatious build-ups and dissonant chord progressions commonly found in contemporary siblings are muted in favor of immediacy; everything is what I like to call "logically beautiful" (really direct key inversions that convey emotion in a way everybody can understand). And the mindset pays off because the album turns out very solid and more importantly, accessible and enjoyable.
The six-minute opener "All the Memories, All at Once" is nothing special - whirring guitars creating an upbeat riff is a familiar tactic. Neither are the dampened "Four" and "Black Bear"; nevertheless, the trifecta is still a beautiful creation. "Continental Drift" is a gorgeously mysterious track, filled with muddy synths and a forlorn guitar line. "Out of This Place II," which precludes "Out of This Place" in typical, intentional confusion of order, is really the first demonstration of exceptional songwriting. An oriental motif surrounds a relatively short and to-the-point build-up, which ultimately explodes with the unveiling of the motif in the most powerful dynamic, before calming down in one minute. Ah, there is such beauty in the track, and it is accomplished in five minutes, and is a sort of raspberry in the face of pretentious post-rock bands that take minutes to bring the track to conclusion.
"Out of This Place" uses the same melody line from its predecessor, but never builds up, instead opting for a delicate and mournful atmosphere. "Reverse Dragons" turns up the volume again in a swift and precise rocker, and the album sounds like it could end on the lulling quietness of "Ocean Depth/Clothing Paths." The best is yet to come, however, as the 11-minute closer "Vanil/Requiescat" concludes with still a more glorious crescendo. The track finishes the album in what sounds like a vacuum hurricane, which is awkward but really overlookable considering the quality of everything else.
Music is inherently spiritual, and All the Memories, All At Once brings out this fact quite well. Each wondrous peak had me either closing my eyes in appreciation, or wishing one of these songs some movie-time in the near future. It's albums like this that are better described by listening rather than through words, so there's nothing more to say than bravo and encore. This is truly great.
The Appleseed Cast, The Ascent of Everest, Explosions In the Sky
Stream/download the album at futurerecordings.bandcamp.com (http://www.futurerecordings.bandcamp.com)
Release Date: July 14, 2009
Record Label: Future Recordings
Detroit, Michigan's Sunlight Ascending has me, as a post-rock consumer, all figured out. The band writes very straight-forward, dare I say easy, crescendo-rock powerhouse numbers that are really all I want in an average crave of the genre. On All The Memories, All At Once, dragging, ostentatious build-ups and dissonant chord progressions commonly found in contemporary siblings are muted in favor of immediacy; everything is what I like to call "logically beautiful" (really direct key inversions that convey emotion in a way everybody can understand). And the mindset pays off because the album turns out very solid and more importantly, accessible and enjoyable.
The six-minute opener "All the Memories, All at Once" is nothing special - whirring guitars creating an upbeat riff is a familiar tactic. Neither are the dampened "Four" and "Black Bear"; nevertheless, the trifecta is still a beautiful creation. "Continental Drift" is a gorgeously mysterious track, filled with muddy synths and a forlorn guitar line. "Out of This Place II," which precludes "Out of This Place" in typical, intentional confusion of order, is really the first demonstration of exceptional songwriting. An oriental motif surrounds a relatively short and to-the-point build-up, which ultimately explodes with the unveiling of the motif in the most powerful dynamic, before calming down in one minute. Ah, there is such beauty in the track, and it is accomplished in five minutes, and is a sort of raspberry in the face of pretentious post-rock bands that take minutes to bring the track to conclusion.
"Out of This Place" uses the same melody line from its predecessor, but never builds up, instead opting for a delicate and mournful atmosphere. "Reverse Dragons" turns up the volume again in a swift and precise rocker, and the album sounds like it could end on the lulling quietness of "Ocean Depth/Clothing Paths." The best is yet to come, however, as the 11-minute closer "Vanil/Requiescat" concludes with still a more glorious crescendo. The track finishes the album in what sounds like a vacuum hurricane, which is awkward but really overlookable considering the quality of everything else.
Music is inherently spiritual, and All the Memories, All At Once brings out this fact quite well. Each wondrous peak had me either closing my eyes in appreciation, or wishing one of these songs some movie-time in the near future. It's albums like this that are better described by listening rather than through words, so there's nothing more to say than bravo and encore. This is truly great.
The Appleseed Cast, The Ascent of Everest, Explosions In the Sky
Stream/download the album at futurerecordings.bandcamp.com (http://www.futurerecordings.bandcamp.com)