THE WIND, THE TREES AND THE SHADOWS OF THE PAST

The Morningside are a relatively new band around for yet another bite at the experimental/post sub-genre. What one expects are the trademark walls of sound, guitar layers and drone, hypnotic rhythms to be found in this style. What The Morningside gives us in their debut album is no less than these features, yet they still present an eerie uniqueness to their sound. The guitar tones are quite distinct and able to mark the ensemble's personal touch on the guitar work approach. Crunching and brutal chords intertwine quite well under the driving lush riffs from the lead guitar. The vocals consist of coarse growling, and they're not in any form technically above the average extent,but are well placed whithin the coiled mix of elements that define the whole of the sound. Although rhythmic contribution is in this genre lacking in agile displays, some artful details are wrought from the bass performance, bringing about an easy listen.

And this was the description for two of the major tracks in this album, The Wind and The Trees. Then enters The Shadows of The Past and all the growling, the dissonant aggression and the rugged texture are thrown out the window, giving way to a smooth, clean, accoustic-sounding ending piece. Morose, but beautiful, The Shadows of The Past captures quite well the cloudy ambience that remains after the anger dissipates and all that's left is but a gentle, yet painful melancholic feel.

Although, technically speaking, the theoretical approach to The Wind, The Trees and The Shadows of The Past might unearth no broken boundaries or creative revolutions of the genre, there is much emotion and craft that feels naturally right and well set into motion, providing even as much as an epic and inspiring mood from the more aggressive numbers and an unnerving atmosphere from the more gentle passages.

Yet another undisclosed gem from Russia.