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Apse, "Eras"
I’ve long been under the mindset that "post rock" is a euphemism for "prog rock." Just like "industrial" began to mean "synth pop with distortion" circa 1983. Not that there's anything wrong with prog rock, who doesn’t love a guy in a cape behind a battery of synths that look like they could have landed the Apollo. Apse are definitely in this genre and for the most part they do pretty well, though I wish this would have been an instrumental album.
Consisting of a selection of full length tracks and short instrumental segue pieces, Eras is an interesting combination of vaguely 1960s surf guitar, heavily processed percussion, tons of effects, and lots of dramatic flourishes. The opening "Cyd" layers noise drenched bass and guitar over a simple processed drum loop. For the most part, it is one of the most simple pieces on here.
"Up in the Eaves" leans heavily on the "electronica" end of the spectrum, rhythmically. It takes an old school drum and bass skittering rhythm and requisite synth work with untreated guitar elements, along with buried and heavily effected vocals. "Shining Black" has a similar electronic underpinning, a clanky loop of digital percussion that goes along with some very 1960s pop bass guitar work.
Both "Ark" and "The Letter" propel along a little more rapidly, mixing slightly Asian inspired complex rhythms, the former with chiming guitar and vocals, the latter with an overdriven bassline. "Wishlist" maintains the ethnic percussion sound, but adds in a bit of funk bass, the occasional metallic guitar riff, and some more open and untreated vocals.
When the vocals are not as buried as they are mostly on the A side, it begins to get a bit problematic. They follow the formula of overly falsetto and faux dramatic enunciating that really hinder the tracks they’re prominent on as a whole. It simply feels like a good musical background that’s ruined by shrieking vocals that really pull the focus away from where it should be.
At least side B isn’t entirely fraught with such problems. Opener "Deathless" is a slow, creepy piece of organ drone, electronic atmospheres, and low pulsing bass throbs. The closing "Salt of the Earth" takes a noise background with clangy guitar, and a dense choral vocal that calls to mind early Angels of Light albums with its dark, creepy Appalachian folk inspired sound.
While beautifully packaged and mostly a compelling listen, I can’t help but be sucked out of the album by the tracks that lean heavily on the vocals. Perhaps its personal preference, but at times it sounds like a great band is rehearsing, but some kid comes running into practice from his drama class and tries to become the center of attention. It’s good, but not great.
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