Autumn Moonlight – SPLIT
Everybody loves a good story of excessive studio perfection. There are tales of bands like Steely Dan, Korn, or Guns n’ Roses spending millions upon millions of US dollars and months or years on chasing a precise, and elusive sound.
This might all sound a bit excessive. After all, there are bands who’ve sold millions by just playing a few power chords through broken-down amps. But many musical fans don’t feel this way.
In fact, sonic excess, to put it plainly, is the reason why some fans return to certain recordings over and over again, trying to decipher every detail that went into making that music.
For those sound and composition quality obsessives, Autumn Moonlight will likely sound and feel like a perfect band. The Argentinian group focuses on carefully written, densely arranged and masterfully produced post-rock. “SPLIT” is a song that requires and repays dutiful attention.
Unknown Vagabond – Warm Tide (left blank)
A million articles that include the headline: “Scientists have discovered…” are waiting to be fleshed out, written up, and delivered to the world. The reaction, those in charge of the publication hope, will be a colossal, general sigh of amazement. And, then? Not much else is needed. The shock and admiration are enough, usually, for both scientists and their promoters.
But most of the great theories remain just that, and the wonderful, modern inventions will never become something that you’ll actually get to use. People like to be amazed. But sometimes, all this obsession with science and progress forces us to forget about other, incredible achievements, as I think Unknown Vagabond’s music will make you realise.
I admit to being quite stunned by “Warm Tide (left blank).” Sure, I gasped in appreciation when I learned about this being a solitary, DIY affair. But that’s just a distraction. The main point is that this is a superb, modern, Brian Wilson-level composition and recording, the kind that will arrest your whole attention and reward you handsomely for it. A great success!
