2011 EP

Different light on a decaying sound

I am not a big post rock fan. From Sigur Ros' sound a supernumerary amount of bands have crafted a similar sound with now much variation, making for a cluttered and quickly marginalizing genre. Too many bands have puckered into an ever-growing vat of post-rock with an unoriginal and often boring atmospheric sound. However, Up There: The Clouds, a young Italian band, seems to have risen from this stereotype. Based upon that Sigur Rosian principle and sound, they have managed to build upon it and have fused more styles, such as hard rock and psychedelic influences for an overall fresh(er) and creative sound. This 2011 EP, containing two tracks, shows this great sound in a prime fashion.

Same Way, Different Light opens the EP with a nice flowing structure and great rocking feel to the riffing and licking of the guitar-centric music. The harmonies between each part are really nice, as are the atmospheric guitar effects, however generic they may seem. The introduction of legitimate vocal melodies are also a nice change from the traditional post- rock stigma, with some nice lyrical qualities to got along with it. Overall the song presents a really nice airy feeling, with a nice jovial atmosphere to combat the dreary depths of post rock's depression. The instrumental breakdown also adds a really great dynamic to the track, with some great prog rock feels and great rocking auras.

Roots in the Air is more melancholy than the previous track, although the same prog rock atmospheres and lighthearted swiftness of the music is still present. This song has a stronger post feel, with more prevalent atmospheric guitar effects present behind the driving hard rock inspired sweeping riffs. With the vocal part not until the end of the song, the heavy emphasis on instrumental work is nice, although the vocal part at the end does sound a twinge to emotional to fit the music. Overall, however, it was a great track from this great new band.

ALBUM OVERALL: This EP is certainly a pleasant surprise. Rising above post-rock's boringness that I see the most of, the band has whipped out a great two track piece. Each track has some really exemplary qualities, and, for a band as amateur as this, the production is perfect. Airy enough to make it happy when needed and crisp for definition, the whole thing reeks of professional handiwork and fantastic compositions. The only down side is, well, there are only two tracks of the stuff! 4 stars.

Post-rock is a genre that I normally am incredibly bored listening to. It's usually just the same monotone soundscapes, and all the bands associated with the genre play all the same notes in the same way.

But, this actually isn't all that bad. This band, Up There: The Clouds, adds some dynamic variety to their music that 80% of all post-rock bands reject entirely. It's quiet, and then it gets heavy. It's slow, and then it gets fast. And they actually know how to play their instruments, what a progressive quality for post-rock!

My main gripe with this EP are the vocals. I've never been a fan of the modern emo-whine vocals that a lot of bands have started using over the past decade, but the vocalist doesn't sing all that much on this EP. Both songs are roughly the same to me, but the point should have been made apparent by now that I don't really have an ear for post-rock.

This EP was good for a few listens, and I'd suggest it to post-rock fans for being better than I consider post-rock to be, but maybe some better and more interesting things will come from this band in the future.