April 02, 2010
futurerecordings // Service Bell EP - Years of Rice & Salt
Recently, well, a few weeks ago actually, I came across futurerecordings, a label that puts out all their releases for free. For the most part, these releases fall under the post-rock and ambient umbrella, but also stretch out to encompass screamo (Indian Summer) and other genres. What’s really neat is that the label offers high quality downloads for whatever album you choose to download— Which makes me wonder… are post-rockers generally audiophiles? I’m not sure. I’ve always gotten the impression that being an audiophile doesn’t necessary entail good taste, but it’s debatable— however, getting back to the label…
I’ve come across quite a few nice albums and EPs from this label. Both albums by The Tumbled Sea, a one man ambient project, are worth downloading, but I think by far the greatest release is the Service Bell EP by Years of Rice and Salt. As far as lesser-known post-rock acts go, Years of Rice and Salt’s EP matches up to the sheer brilliance of This Is My Normal State’s debut EP, Angel Falls ++, that I’ve been shitting myself about since November (and speaking of which, TiMNS is planning on releasing new material soon—more on that later). It’s that good.
I think it would be safe to say that about 9 out of 10 post-rock songs are sad. Post-rock is music that makes you think, so is it sadder music that is more thought-provoking and emotion-distilling than music that is cheerful? The Service Bell EP makes me disregard that thought. It’s just a four-song EP, running about 30 minutes in length, yet it manages to invoke more emotions than just the generic “sadness” post-rock generally does. “Plankton”, a song full of eerie whispering, begins the EP on a melancholy note, but wavers a bit, giving off the impression that it won’t stall on the idea. “Plankton” leads right into “Splendid Isolation” which feeds off of the previous song’s edgy sorrow only for a bit. It turns into a sweet, bouncy jam (imagine: post-rock parade) before retreating to a slower, thoughtful section, and ending with a painfully gorgeous guitar line that struggles to toss its head above the sea of strings. These odd transitions put the album at risk of becoming inconsistent and unfocused, but Years of Rice and Salt changes the mood of their music so naturally that these jumps are hardly questionable.
What “Plankton” and “Isolation” do to impress the listener in an controlled manner, “(Rearranging) Deckchairs”, the third track, also the one with the coolest name, does with its intensity and energy. The first three minutes consist of intertwining guitar and violin(?) parts. The violin plays the prominent role the guitar would normally assume, while the guitar stays in the background. The band often takes interesting approaches like this on the EP, giving their music a unique sound yet uncreated by another post-rock band. The song builds its dynamic as it goes along, eventually exploding into the EP’s most forcefully-fueled section. Every instrument sings with absolute vigor and determined mentality, demonstrating the band’s ability to allow their carefully crafted masterpieces to remain both pleasantly natural and naturally pleasant.
If it could be considered to have one, the Service Bell EP falls into its weakest section with “Occasional Flashes of Warmth”. The yearning strings and guitar move at a seemingly delayed tempo after powering through “Deckchairs”. Eventually this restrained part gives way to the EP’s only comprehensible vocals; a sort of turning point and conclusive idea. I do lose a bit of interest when making it to this last track, but the entire EP still comes together very beautifully. It’s supposed to be music about a shipwreck. That may not be how you or I picture it, but the music is so vivid and friendly that you can easily create your own story. It's bands like Years of Rice and Salt that make me wonder how people can possibly find post-rock uninteresting.
Rating: 8.6/10
[Years of Rice and Salt myspace]
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[currently listening to: Dsco – Sweet Trip]