BURNING OFF IMPURITIES

Third (or fourth, not sure) album from the Oregon-based now-quartet (their violinist Tim Horner is now gone), and probably their most varied (at least until the turn of the decade), Burning Of Impurities is certainly a title that could shock with a fundamentalist's interpretation of the title and by looking at the (superb) images of destruction of the booklet, one wonders what Grails's message is this time around, and as usual, the track title are of no help.

BOI is definitely between the usual post rock, but this time delving in semi-cosmic/space rock on one hand and Krautrock (ala ADII meets Popol Vuh) and some Indian classic sonic tapestry of some tracks. There also bits of electronic music that relate again to the left bank of the Rhime River. One of the big differences in this album is the jamming/improvisation level, which never seemed so high on a post rock album, but it's quite refreshing, often veering psychedelic, but never overpowering either.

Definitely the less post-rock album of their discography, BBOI does remain a typical Grails album, with plenty of good and some average and its load of tiny surprises that makes it one of the most enjoyable album of the genre. ? Rounded up to the upper star rating.