steering clear of the mainstream
since 2001

june 2010

review
blankred.jpg (4669 bytes)
blankred.jpg (4669 bytes)
blankred.jpg (4669 bytes)
blankred.jpg (4669 bytes)
info opinion

Emery Reel

"...For and Acted Upon Through Diversions" CD

First Flight

Genres: post-rock, instrumental rock, shoegazer

First Flight
PO Box 21631
St. Louis, MO
63109 USA

Oct 27 - Nov 2 2003

First off, brilliant packaging.  The St. Louis based First Flight label has done a terrific job with ...For and Acted Upon Through Diversions.  It's simply a beautiful treasure of an album to look at.

The music, meanwhile, is your average spacey post-rock stuff, devoid of vocals and yet mesmerizing in its simplistically beautiful guitar, drum, bass, and electronic arrangements.  It's like a big mash-pash of Mogwai, Godspeed You Black Emperor, Yo La Tengo, and any number of obscure instrumental post-rock bands and Constellation/Kranky projects and side-projects and sub-side-pet-projects.

It seems futile to pick out particular tracks on this album, as it all pretty much acts as one big, living and breathing record.  It is rather beautiful and emotional, although a certain amount of patience is reqiore to appreciate it as hook-filled melody isn't always in excess.  Those not attuned to the style may just find it long and tiresome.

Overall, this is a very solid work of post-rock/shoegazer/instru-rock goodness that deserves a look.  Check out the label website for some sound samples to try out.

86%

Matt Shimmer

[Vitals: 10 tracks, distributed by the label, released 2003]