Belly19

French philosopher Blaise Pascal once noted that, “beauty is a harmonious relation between something in our nature and the quality of the object which delights us”. So if monsieur Pascal is to be believed, Surface of Atlantics delightful second record A Frame Per Season is indeed a work of beauty.

Formed in Montreal in 2005 through various musical projects, Surface of Atlantic have for the last number of years been building a loyal following in Canada with their unique live shows which consist of ten musicians accompanied by projections of abstract and dreamy visuals. A Frame Per Season is the bands follow up to their 2006 debut Ephemeral as We Speak and shows a band progressing and maturing at an astonishing rate.

With echo’s of early Sigur Ros, opener No Sleep, Walk blends silky strings and a marching drumbeat in glorious fashion as the listener is swept up on this musical adventure. The bands influences of jazz and old French pop are all touched upon in A Frame Per Season and no more so than with Bonjour Tristesse, which would not be out of place in an old Luis Bunuel or Francois Truffaut film. The group have had four of their songs featured in Xavier Dolans award winning picture Jai tue ma Mere and the cinematic ambiance is continued with the sparsely, gorgeous Sea and All Emerald Suns. Live favourite Great White is probably Surface of Atlantics most accomplished piece of work to date. The simplicity of the piano and violins blended with singer Dave Douvilles voice is masterfully brought together and would surely be a highlight on any bands record.

A Frame Per Season is a beautifully crafted, flowing record and certainly gives the impression that Surface of Atlantic didn’t suffer that tired old rock n roll cliché of the difficult second album. The bad news for us this side of the Atlantic, however, is the band has unfortunately no live dates scheduled over here this year, so we will not be able to hear the transition of this outstanding record to the stage.

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