BATH

How do you review an album like Bath? The music is absolutely stunning in its beauty and power but so diverse that describing its sound is next to impossible/useless. Its a feeling, an experience, one of those albums that takes me somewhere. How do you convey that in a review? Nevertheless, Im going to do my best to put down my thoughts on this incredible music.

The music found here plays out like a dream. A perfect, spiritually cleansing dream. It ranges in sound from subdued woodwinds and gentle horns to chaotic explosions of avant metal and jazz to full on psychedelic space rock. They even utilize a female vocalist who compliments the songs she appears in wonderfully. Driver will lead you into this complex wash of textures and sounds full of soaring, blistering riffs, guttural vocals and pained shrieks (how does that man do that with his voice? incredible) leave you feeling lost, only to then guide you out at the last minute and show you something beautiful.

It all reminds me of a ball of knotted yarn. The chaotic twists and turns and violent movement of the yarn in the knot is enthralling and intimidating. Church organs blare, trumpets shout, the guitars chug and crunch and shred while the music warps and twists to the point of knotting. But just then Driver pulls on the yarn and in turn takes you out on that single simple elegant strand in the moments of quiet acoustics and echoed splashes of water (which surprised and delighted me). These moments are much more dominant on this disc than on Leaving Your Body Map which is a much tighter knot of a record. Bath is loose and flow-y; wispy and elegant; and as the other reviewers mentioned, mellower. also, the overall sound is very warm and earthy. The band focused on atmosphere and was extremely successful.

Ok so maybe my overblown little metaphor is confusing but like i said, i dont know how to review this music. That's just the way my mind makes sense of things i guess. I dont like doing song by song reviews so i wont, ill just end with 2 of my favorite songs - loved geography. the lyrics, the pacing, Toby Driver's singing, the mood, just a wonderful song. what a way to end the album. -Birth Pains of Astral Projection. the best 'metal' song from MotW. The name works as a good description of the sound. space metal with heavy jazz influence.

***** five stars from me.