6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Do you long for me?, November 4, 2007
This review is from: Reichenbach Falls (Audio CD)
If you took the musical richness of Arcade Fire, mingled in the literate lyrics of the Decemberists, and a bit of freakfolk... you might have something like Ravens & Chimes.
And it's the sum sound of the Brooklyn band's first album, "Reichenbach Falls" -- a cascade of swirling, energetic indiepop flavoured with melancholy folk. While they're still growing into their sound, the band's polished instrumentation and hauntingly literate songs are the stuff of indie-rock dreams.
It begins with a haunting guitar strum and a trickle of gentle piano, which suddenly erupts into a swirling, mournful epic of twilight indiepop. Asher Lack sings tremulously about a flood wasteland: "And if the waters rise up/and drown the whole city/and all the houses where we live/are shimmering lights beneath... and to all the saints who drowned in the sea/I am still here with you..." Wow. You don't quite realize how dark that song is, until you listen carefully to the words.
It also sets much of the mood for the album -- the rippling piano-pop "January" sounds very cheerful, until you realize that it's the crumbling of a bittersweet relationship. From there, the band explores quiet acoustic ballads, energetic retro pop with some really colourful synth, and some swirling, haunting indie-rock in the Arcade Fire vein.
That brand of indie-rock is what they really are brilliant at -- some of the highlights include the ghostly, elusive "...and I Came Upon It in the Clearing," and the bouncy music-hall-style "General Lafayette! You Are Not Alone," which changes at the end to an autumnal, wistful little instrumental.
If "Reichenbach Falls" sounds pretty mind-blowing... well, it is. The songs are rarely catchy, hardly ever happy, but full of a musical richness that few veteran bands can match. And they evoke a feeling of autumnal, nostalgic beauty that lingers long after the songs have ended.
Their music is spun from acoustic guitar, flowing piano and some stomping drums, whether they're mournful pop songs or driven indie-rockers. But those songs are wrapped in warm synth, icy ringing guitars, shimmering waves of mellotron, a hint of accordion. And the last song, "Chloe," is a sparkling little tune ruled by a xylophone -- pure prettiness.
If I had to find a flaw in the album, it would be "Candles," a halting acoustic tune only a minute and a half long. I have no idea why it was left in, but it lacks the energy of the other songs.
And Lack provides a lot of that energy, with his quirky, warmly reflective voice. He spends the songs contemplating the lyrics' lonely beauty -- bells, birds, old houses, flooded cities, girls with wicked grins, old photographs, broken loves, snowy towns, and "riding buses like a ghost." As you can probably guess, it's pretty haunting.
Ravens & Chimes are one of those rich, intense bands that only crops up occasionally, and their debut album is like a walk at the end of autumn. Stunning.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
