Winter Equinox
"Safe and Sound" CD
Crony Records
Genres: instrumental rock,
post-rock
290 Bridge St W
Waterloo ON
N2K 1L2
Canada
Oct 17 - 23 2005 |
Granted, instrumental music isn't exactly a
catch-all for entertaining these days, but once in awhile a few guys
get things right. Winter Equinox is a fine example of
what can happen when things are done properly; though this isn't a post-rock
masterpiece, it's a solid set of songs that incorporate mood and
melody into something altogether wonderful. Names like Mogwai
and GYBE are privy to fly around in the context of Safe and
Sound, but their sound has something of its own in it.
Electronic beats and synths run amok, sure, but the real fun is in how
well Winter Equinox convey specific moods and settings.
This disc could easily be the score to a satisfyingly intricate film
of some sort - the music has a very cinematic aspect to it, often
seeming to run alongside action. "Two Eyes," a fine example,
sets a pretty flute/clarinet duet over a rolling electronic rhythm
section before breaking into a GYBE-like guitar climax; it
feels like it should accompany the finale of a dramatic suspense
thriller or something. "It's Always Nighttime Somewhere,"
meanwhile, is a slow and brooding epic designed for a scene by train
tracks. A few of the songs, like "Seeing Stars" and "Skies Over
Smokestacks," have vocals - but the major point of the music seems to
be the instrumental aspect. Overall, Safe and Sound is a
thoroughly enjoyable - though occasionally slow - album of moods and
soundscapes. If you like atmospheric music with melody and
rhythm, pick this up right now. 80%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 8 tracks, 51.2
min, distributed by
the label, released 2005] |
