Review Summary: Quiet, beautiful.
What a shame that this receives such a small amount of attention. It's ambient acoustic music at its best. Some may call it slow-core, some may call it post-rock, other may see it as indie; however, I see it as good music. It's plain and simple, that's all that this is. You've got your slow acoustic guitars, there's the somber cymbal stricken drum, and the synthesizer drearily playing long and drawn out ambience. Occasionally, the vocalist will sing out a tired few lines, then disappear as suddenly as he had appeared in the first place. This is Early Day Miner's formula, and it is oh so good.
Placer Found begins quietly with, well, the title track," Placer Found." The drum punches in a few brazen beats, then a little bit of piano walks on in along with a couple mellow guitars. After this short instrumental opening, Daniel Burton comes in with his soothing vocals, and the song goes in its own little direction. Of course, this just gives one a good sense as to what will be in the songs to come. This whole CD is filled to the brim with great, ambient, guitar riffs and sections of purely blissful Codeine/Bedhead reminiscent vocals. A great deal of the guitar work sounds similar to something Mogwai, Bedhead or Slint would pull off. However, this is not to say that it is a Slint, Bedhead, or Mogwai rip-off. Early Day Miners stands on its own, as its own. It is purely Early Day Miners and really nothing else.
What makes this album so great is its extremely mellow make up. There is nothing here that is much louder than the intro to an Explosions In The Sky song. In fact, this music would be perfect for falling asleep to, or listening to during a long drive. It just has an extraordinarily calming sound. A better antidote for stress does not exist. Placer Found is, singlehandedly, the best antidote for stress.
This album is truly one of a kind. Though it may remain somewhat similar in sound to the likes of Bedhead, Slint, Mogwai, and occasionally Codeine, it still manages to maintain a sort of feel to it that is very much independent of Early Day Miners' obvious influences. Definitely give this sorely underrated band a shot. It's mellow music at its best.
