ONDA

It is said the second album is the most difficult to band specially if the first one has been promising. Maybe I am not the right person to make generalisations about this time music, but to me it seems it´s the third one today (I have also other examples of this). To me it seems, when band has found very personal style and started to get succeess, pressures to success increase from the outside (record company) or the inside (the band itself). When thinking this Jambinai new record, they may have been pressure to make decent Post-Rock record. I don´t believe the band leader Ilwoo Lee originally thought their music Post-Rock. Anyway they were put into that genre and to me the album sounds as Post-Rock record from the beginning instead just trying to make great music. On the other hand there are very typical Jambinai-elements and that new searching direction of the Hermitage hasn´t continued. Anyway after all this I have to say Jambinai has managed to make good record, although I was a little bit disappointed at first.

Album starts very great way and really acoustic in "Sawtooth". Ilwoo starts to play simple, beautiful melody with Piri, soon acoustic guitar and haegum join into it. Then other instruments join and song changes stronger, but the acoustic feeling stays almost the whole song, in the end there is electronic hard wall that is very typical to Jambinai. This song has grown a lot to me when I have listened it more. The next "Square Wave" is the hitsong of this album. The piece starts very rhythmic, both guitar and geomungo making saw- like chords into base of the drums. Soon starts beautiful female vocals, probably it is Bomi Kim who is singing. Song chorus is very beatiful in chamber echo production. Next "Event Horizon" is the least interesting instrumental piece. It includes Ministry-style uptempo noise and quiter pieces that reminds parts from the first album "Time Of Extinction" and second album "Echo Of Creation". Also "Sun. Tears. Red" is not my biggest favourites, but the rage of the song is really impressive, also I like the almost clean guitar parts in the end of it.

The second half of the album is much better than the first one. "In the Woods" is really sad masterpiece of this album. It starts with acoustic guitar and geomungo, but soon bells & electric guitar join. The song grows slowly, but stays acoustic. Guesting dramatic vocals of Bora Kim really fits this piece and the song carries all of it´s over13 minutes. "Small Consalation" starts very minimalistic with whispering vocals of Ilwoo Lee changing more typical, electronic Jambinai. Ending tittle song with it´s prelude is almost as great as "In the Woods". "Prelude" is totally acoustic, actual song starts very suprising after the calmness of prelude. Both Ilwoo & Bomi sign in this piece and in the end there are beautiful, chamber-echoed chorus.

I believe this album will be great introduction of Jambinai to all the Post-Rock -fans. After many listens it has also risen to the level of Differance to me. But I really miss the personality of Hermitage, also the lighter melodies in it. I really hope they will continue more the direction of "In the Woods" than "Sun. Tears. Red". To me this definitely is three stars album, although it may be four stars Post-rock -album. Afterall this really is one of the greatest albums of this year I have heard.