Skip to main content

ALBUM REVIEW: "Clairvoyant" by The Contortionist

   The Contortionist are no longer the band they were when they started. From kids from Indianapolis writing "djent" (I hate that word) music from Indianapolis, they have grown and changed into something that has been distilled into Clairvoyant, and is nothing short of spectacular. Like, holy shit. 2014's Language saw them transition into something really worth taking notice of, and is a challenging piece of work regardless of what you think of that side of "heavy" music (although I would in no way categorise Language as simply a heavy record, it is so much more than that.), and with Clairvoyant the band have almost entirely shed their metal roots in favour of the prog rock sound they had shades of on Language. It really sounds like a band coming into their own; before this change they sounded like most of the other "djent" bands chugging away at their 7 string guitars with some twiddly stuff thrown in, now they are a group of musicians composing incredibly immersive, challenging pieces of music and performing them with full command of their instruments, allowing each element to have it's time to shine and for space to exist in between the big ideas. Where Language was a bit "look at me I'm a music major" at times, Clairvoyant has none of that beard twisting, or if it does you are too deeply immersed in the music that you really don't care. This really is an album best experienced as a whole; I intentionally left the singles alone, and I'm glad I did because the 50-odd minutes of the album was like an episode of Game of Thrones. I was keenly awaiting what was coming next, while being in shock most of the time at just how cinematic and enveloping the sound I was hearing was. When an album like this comes along I am always wary of dissecting it too much for fear of ruining the magic, so I'll leave it at that - don't just take my word for it, go and listen to Clairvoyant now.

   Favourite Songs: Reimagined, Clairvoyant, Absolve and Monochrome (Pensive)

   Least Favourite Song: sure.

   Rating: A+

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

ALBUM REVIEW: "A Man Apart" by Ben Ottewell

   Ben Ottewell's third LP A Man Apart goes boldly where he has been before, and while it certainly does that pretty well it doesn't manage to either strike new ground or any real emotional response. There is a distinctly "nice" feel to this record, which is, um, nice I guess if that's what you want. But it just doesn't feel like there's any immediacy or forward motion on any of these songs, like Ottewell is content with writing songs that could be on four wheel drive ads. Again, there isn't really anything particularly bad here, it's just a singer-songwriter album that isn't trying to break new ground. His typically growly voice is also beginning to give way to a more accessible, smooth tone, which could place you on either side of this record. For me it just cements it's place firmly in the middle ground somewhere.    Favourite Songs: Own It, A Man Apart and Lead Me    Least Favourite Songs: Watcher, Back To The World and Bones ...

1 YEAR LATER: "22, A Million" by Bon Iver

   Bon Iver's third studio album turns 1 in about a week (where did that year go?), so I thought it would be interesting to talk a bit about how my impressions of the album have changed - or how they haven't - over the last 12 months. When this album was released I was more excited than I think I ever have been to hear a new album. For Emma, Forever Ago is one of my all time favourites, and I love his self-titled second album too, so I had huge expectations for this album, but was also wary that expectations might ruin my experience of the music. This was particularly the case for 22, A Million , because it is unlike anything else Justin Vernon has released. There have been hints at this more processed, electronic direction previously, like the song "Woods" on the Blood Bank EP and occasional flourishes on Bon Iver , but 22, A Million is a drastic departure from the Bon Iver sound we had grown accustomed to at this point in time. Or at least, that's what I thought...

EP REVIEW: "Same Kind Of Different" by Dean Lewis

   Dean Lewis offers up six largely acoustic-driven tunes on his debut offering, all of which are clearly aimed at wider appeal. The acoustic-pop thing has never really done it for me (read my recent Ed Sheeran review  here ), mainly because behind the slick production and singable hooks there's a general lack of songwriting to be had. This is where Same Kind Of Different sits a rung above most other similar albums; take the sugar and fairy dust away and there are still six complete songs that could be on a singer-songwriter album, rough and bare. I can appreciate the way these songs have been tailored to be played to a larger audience, but the substance behind the shine is more important to me. The six songs do sound very similar, however, and they do tend to blur together into a singular mass - which could be a good or a bad thing, depending on who you are. For me that was a bit of a concern on second and third listen, but I was generally pleased by Same Kind Of Diffe...