ALBUM REVIEW: "Waiting For Morning To Come" by Being As An Ocean

   I've been anticipating the release of this album for a long time, since it was announced in December of last year, in fact. The anticipation was made worse when, on original release date June 9, the album didn't show up anywhere. It was later revealed by the band that they were having problems with their then label, Equal Vision, who had the album. Since then they have left the label and bought out the rights to this new album, released it independently, and we can finally hear it.
   I've been a fan of Being As An Ocean since 2012 when they released their debut Dear G-D, which is still my favourite album of theirs. Since then they have never stayed in the same place, each release moving to different territory while retaining their post-hardcore roots, and while I haven't been quite as enamoured with their most recent records as I was with the first, as time has passed I have grown to appreciate How We Both Wondrously Perish and Being As An Ocean more and more. Hopefully as time passes this will also be the case with Waiting For Morning To Come, because my initial reactions were not particularly positive. As almost everyone who has reviewed this album has pointed out, there are an unusually large number of instrumental interludes, and this was the most jarring thing about this record. The post-hardcore influence has been subtracted almost entirely from a lot of this record, to the point that I hesitate to call this a "heavy record". 4 of the first 7 tracks are entirely instrumental piano interludes, and if I'm honest I was a little angry during the first listen. While I'm still not 100% on board with this creative choice, I have had time to sit with it a little more, and I will say that it definitely lends a more holistic element to the record; it is definitely meant to be listened to in one sitting. This seems to be reinforced by the fact that the track listing vaguely assembles a sort of poem. The ridiculous number of interludes is almost matched by the decision to have a song play out in reverse. "eB tahT srewoP ehT" is pretty much unlistenable, which is a real shame because if you reverse it so it plays the right way it's one of the more powerful moments on the record, particularly in terms of the lyrical content. I'm sure there is a reason for this, and it is a recurring theme, with reversed samples already having popped up before this track, but I really don't think it translates into an enjoyable part of the album, more so that it distracts and pulls you out of the experience - the opposite to what they were obviously going for with this record.
   Having said that, there are some incredibly powerful songs to be found on Waiting For Morning To Come. "Black & Blue" uses the electronic and ambient elements they are playing with on this record to amazing effect, and is a stand out moment, as does "Glow". The updated version of "Dissolve" - a single originally premiered in February of 2016 - features a more intense vocal performance from frontman Joel Quarticcio, an improvement on the already brooding and thoughtful original. The chorus remains just as rousing, with the refrain "and I wear my heart on my sleeve / so you can watch it bleed" a highlight of the album. "Thorns" is a bold moment musically, relying almost entirely on electronic textures and samples, but is also one of the darker and more sinister moments on the album. The contrast between the soothing, widely panned water samples at the beginning and the heavy textures in the "chorus" makes for a really dynamic track, and while I wasn't a huge fan on first listening, it is a strong step into experimentation that works for the most part. "Suddenly I Was Alone" is another instrumental track, but contains the full instrumentation of the other non-instrumental songs. This could have been a good opportunity for the band to explore the post-rock elements they were obviously inspired heavily by, but at 5:30 there isn't enough development or excitement to make the track as engaging and inspiring as it is trying really hard to be. "Blacktop" is a fantastic track that kind of encapsulates all the new elements present on the album - post-rock, electronic instrumentation and different hip-hop influenced beats in particular. There's even an 80's sounding arpeggiated synth on this track which works surprisingly well. Joel's clean singing is also a welcome return, something we haven't really heard since Dear G-D. Unfortunately the album ends with the weakest of the "songs" on the album in "Waiting For Morning To Come". I think if the album had finished with "Blacktop" it would have had a more concise and impactful ending, but there is obviously some sort of a thematic reason for that song being there so it is worth listening to simply for that.
   Overall Waiting For Morning To Come is a really frustrating listen, but has grown on me considerably since the first listen. Often it is hard to come to terms with change, and compared to Dear G-D this is a completely different band to what Being As An Ocean once were. To say this album is "artsy" would be an understatement, and for a lot of people (me included) this can be a real turn off, but I think that also means there is a lot of room for exploration and experimentation. By far the most divisive album the band has released so far, Waiting For Morning To Come could either be a monumental disappointment or a refreshing change depending on who you are. For me it's leaning towards the former, but repeated listens are easing the sense of self-entitlement and giving way to more enjoyment in these tracks. I just wish there were more actual "songs" to get my teeth into.

   Favourite Songs: Black & Blue, Dissolve and Blacktop

   Least Favourite Songs: OK, eB tahT srewoP ehT and Suddenly I Was Alone

   Rating: a reluctant 4/10