The Quiet Man in the Corner

CanwllCorfe · 08-22-2010, 09:03 PM

Witch House:

Balam Acab - See Birds E.P.
Label : Tri Angle
Release : August 16th, 2010

Does Witch House sound familiar? I bet you're a big fan aren't you. Well, that's where it started for me. I love Halloween so Witches and I go way back. House is a great club genre that I love. But what in the hell is Witch House? Instead of mixing brews and potions, do they grab their brooms and fly to the nearest club? Jeebus only knows. As it turns out, it's also known as Drag and Haunted House. It's a form of Synth Pop slowed way down and each artist does their own thing. This is coming from one of the artists accredited with starting this genre, namely, oOoOO. Burial's Untrue is said to be a big influence, so naturally I became very interested.

Speaking of Burial, I can hear a connection in this record. Think slowed down Dubstep, with a lot of ethereal samples and melodies flowing on top of the broken beats. If you're one of those folks who talk about Post Rock putting you to sleep, look elsewhere. For me, this album is just as beautiful as any Ambient I've heard. It's almost hard to explain the sort of feeling I get from it. In one respect it's quite pretty, but it's not bright. I imagine listening to this on a dark and rainy night. It's lethargic and looming without being oppressive. It's almost like a dream, and I can't help but be brought back to the first time I heard Untrue. It's one of those introspective albums that probably won't be popular with the everyday person, but will resonate for people like me who are drawn into music like this; ethereal and emotive. I was really enjoying the whole album but one track, Big Boy, really moved me. I don't know what it is but there's something in it that really pulls at my heartstrings. Although Dream Out, the song following Big Boy, brightens things up quite a bit. It opens the blinds if you will. Almost as if the album goes from the late night to early morning sun. Then again the subtitle for the first song is Moon, and the last song is Sun.. so this probably isn't on accident. Whatever the reason, whoever you are, you need to check this release out. You WON'T be sorry. I will definitely keep him on my high tech artist radar.

I did this review for the blog that NumberNineDream started, but figured I could post it here as well. Spread the wealth! Although the main reason is that it's one hell of an album and I don't want anyone to miss out.

Ambient/Post Rock:

The Echelon Effect - Reunion
Label : Glidescope
Release : July 27th, 2009

The Echelon Effect is an artist I happen to find on accident, thanks to YouTube. It is the name of a solo project started by the man David Walters in the UK. His sound can pretty much be described as a mix of Ambient and Post Rock with a good heap of gorgeousness. The tracks are so bright and sunny it's hard to be sad while listening. Some songs may be slower or more quiet than others, but there is no darkness to be found. He utilizes a good amount of instruments which really help keep everything interesting. My personal favorite are the bells. They bring so much optimism to the table it can single-handedly reverse any negativity you were harboring before turning on any of the tracks that feature them; namely Finality and Glidescope.

In this album you can go from what sounds like the usual Post Rock (Summing Velocities) to songs like First Sight which is like a huge wall of sound and is, in a word, humbling. It starts quiet and then builds and builds and builds. The whole album is an experience and may have made The Echelon Effect one of my absolute favorite artists. He fills a niche I've been trying to fill for awhile now. If you are into Post Rock, Ambient, or anything gorgeous at all, you owe it to yourself to check him out.

08-22-2010, 09:03 PM	#11 (permalink)
CanwllCorfe Quiet Man in the Corner Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Pocono Mountains Posts: 2,480	Witch House: Balam Acab - See Birds E.P. Label : Tri Angle Release : August 16th, 2010 Does Witch House sound familiar? I bet you're a big fan aren't you. Well, that's where it started for me. I love Halloween so Witches and I go way back. House is a great club genre that I love. But what in the hell is Witch House? Instead of mixing brews and potions, do they grab their brooms and fly to the nearest club? Jeebus only knows. As it turns out, it's also known as Drag and Haunted House. It's a form of Synth Pop slowed way down and each artist does their own thing. This is coming from one of the artists accredited with starting this genre, namely, oOoOO. Burial's Untrue is said to be a big influence, so naturally I became very interested. Speaking of Burial, I can hear a connection in this record. Think slowed down Dubstep, with a lot of ethereal samples and melodies flowing on top of the broken beats. If you're one of those folks who talk about Post Rock putting you to sleep, look elsewhere. For me, this album is just as beautiful as any Ambient I've heard. It's almost hard to explain the sort of feeling I get from it. In one respect it's quite pretty, but it's not bright. I imagine listening to this on a dark and rainy night. It's lethargic and looming without being oppressive. It's almost like a dream, and I can't help but be brought back to the first time I heard Untrue. It's one of those introspective albums that probably won't be popular with the everyday person, but will resonate for people like me who are drawn into music like this; ethereal and emotive. I was really enjoying the whole album but one track, Big Boy, really moved me. I don't know what it is but there's something in it that really pulls at my heartstrings. Although Dream Out, the song following Big Boy, brightens things up quite a bit. It opens the blinds if you will. Almost as if the album goes from the late night to early morning sun. Then again the subtitle for the first song is Moon, and the last song is Sun.. so this probably isn't on accident. Whatever the reason, whoever you are, you need to check this release out. You WON'T be sorry. I will definitely keep him on my high tech artist radar. I did this review for the blog that NumberNineDream started, but figured I could post it here as well. Spread the wealth! Although the main reason is that it's one hell of an album and I don't want anyone to miss out. Ambient/Post Rock: The Echelon Effect - Reunion Label : Glidescope Release : July 27th, 2009 The Echelon Effect is an artist I happen to find on accident, thanks to YouTube. It is the name of a solo project started by the man David Walters in the UK. His sound can pretty much be described as a mix of Ambient and Post Rock with a good heap of gorgeousness. The tracks are so bright and sunny it's hard to be sad while listening. Some songs may be slower or more quiet than others, but there is no darkness to be found. He utilizes a good amount of instruments which really help keep everything interesting. My personal favorite are the bells. They bring so much optimism to the table it can single-handedly reverse any negativity you were harboring before turning on any of the tracks that feature them; namely Finality and Glidescope. In this album you can go from what sounds like the usual Post Rock (Summing Velocities) to songs like First Sight which is like a huge wall of sound and is, in a word, humbling. It starts quiet and then builds and builds and builds. The whole album is an experience and may have made The Echelon Effect one of my absolute favorite artists. He fills a niche I've been trying to fill for awhile now. If you are into Post Rock, Ambient, or anything gorgeous at all, you owe it to yourself to check him out. __________________ Your eyes were never yet let in to see the majesty and riches of the mind, but dwell in darkness; for your God is blind. Last edited by CanwllCorfe; 09-01-2010 at 08:50 PM.