This album marks the fourth from the 4-piece American/ Australian band. Here, The Clogs, take advantage of their brilliant ability to gradually change tempo and use multiple, fresh sounding instruments/sounds to create a dark and captivating, instrumental album.
One fantastic trait of this collection of songs is their ability to flow seamlessly with each other. There is almost no gaps of time between tracks where no music is playing. Instead, the end of one song is immediately followed with the next track. This probably means the band was going for an album that really sounds like one long song (Interestingly the opening song Kapsburger, starts with a band member counting off to 4, probably alluding to this point). Although this can make the album a difficult listen at times because of its fifty minute length, the time really flies by if you like what your hearing.
The instruments are used very effectively to create unique layers that are very interesting to listen to. Although many songs, like 2:3:5, simply start out with acoustic guitar and violin combinations they are soon accompanied by various subtle noises that give haunting effects to them. Gradually the pace quickens as various instruments are added along with multiple percussions to make incredibly intense build-ups that are always fun and amazing to listen too. Almost every song eventually builds up to a thick and powerful ending, that then slows down again to tie in with the next track.
My favorite track of the album is The Tides of Washington Bridge, and it is on the album in two forms. The first version is played by guitar and the second which is the final track is played by piano. This song is amazing and really stands out to me because it seems to be the only track that lacks the intense, layered build up. Instead the song is relatively bare and much more subtle. It is my favorite track because of the way it moves from a beautifully melodic riff that seems full of hope back to the dark haunting sound that is apparent on the rest of the album. This glimpse of hope amidst all the darkness can be very emotional.
This album is probably not for everybody, but if you are one that enjoys dark, moody, and unique instrumental albums you should check this out.
