GREGOR SAMSA

The only reason I knew this band existed is because I love the author Franz Kafka. The band's name is derived from the main character in his book The Metamorphosis and this led me to really want to hear this band.

I was rather pleased to hear this fresh new post rock sound that has the melancholy that makes me love post rock and yet contains other elements that make it amazing. Shoegaze is a wonderful object to add to the thick texture the album has and it produces a wonderful sound.

One interesting thing about this album is that unlike quite a few post rock bands where the vocals detract from the pleasure of the listening experience, this is actually used as a stimulant. Only a few bands can pull this off and they happen to be my favorite post rock bands.

Great little beauty, go ahead and try it if you love post rock. If not, start loving post rock by listening to it.

The music stays slow and melancholic throughout, save for a bit of "Even Numbers," but that's not unexpected for a post-rock band, and it makes for good relaxation or studying music. There are no weak tracks that just beg for me to reach for the skip button (which is always a huge plus in my book), rather, each track flows into the other nicely, with a nice (yet subtle and understated) oscillation of sadder tunes and happier ones.

The magic of the album is found not in increasing volume of noise but in that the band will repeat a pattern of chords spelled out with very simple lines, and build up to a new line, following the same chords, that is very rewarding. The best example of this is at the end of "What I Can Manage" when a guitar line is played that's almost joyful, if restrained.

One thing that could be a plus or a minus depending on your taste is the vocals. They're never sung in full voice, but they're low enough in the mix that the breathiness of them doesn't stand out irritatingly. The band uses two vocalists, one male and one female, and has some very nice interplay between them sometimes. My opinion on the voices usually varies from "don't notice" (not necessarily a bad thing) to "fairly nice." The best showcase of vocals on the album is at the end of "We'll lean this way forever" when the female vocalist gets some overdubbing and a lot of windy microphone noise, which strikes me as something that *should* be irritating, but instead is actually very interesting to listen to in my opinion.

Basically, if you like your post-rock, you can't go wrong with Gregor Samsa. It probably won't bring too many people into the genre, and it'll probably be more appreciated by those who are fans of Sigur Ros rather than MONO, but a very good album nonetheless. Four stars well deserved.

Gregor Samsa have two vocalist, who often harmonize together to create beautiful melodies, over a very very minimalistic background, with very few guitar notes and minimal drums, always in a very slow-paced mood. However, "Even Numbers" has a great and fast, more "filled-up" section, with violins and all, that is really really beautiful.

As in every post-rock album (at least a good one), the album is entirely an highlight , however, I just feel I have to mention "Young And Old", my favorite song in here, a beautiful, eerie and sentimental song that just touches me like very few do (actually, in post-rock, a lot do!), but it moves me very much.

Not very progressive, and not even a post-rock masterpiece, but a beautiful album and I think every post-rock fan should listen to it, as it's very likable and satisfying.

Thsi time GREGOR SAMSA are less Post-Rock influenced (at least they aren't carrying their influences on their sleeves). 'Rest' has more common with Dream Pop and Shoegaze (well, GS fall into this category too, since first EPs of them). This is when silence means more than the sound itslef, and it reminds me so good of my beloved late TALK TALK. For example, 'The Adolescent' (warm one) and 'Abutting, Dismantling' (cold one) are bulit around simple melodies, supplied with dreamy female and male vocals (Nikki and Champ), they flow easily, unfolding until the end, without those usual Post-Rock crescendoes and dozen guitars playing the same climax. Uplifting and optimistic, music on 'Rest' is still dark and moody, even sad...but heart-illuminating in the same time. For those who likes some Slowcore or Dream Pop thrown in Post-Rock and for all late TALK TALK fans 'Rest' may be the best release of this year sp far. 4 for now, but this may change to 5! Will see. Highly recommended!

The band Gregor Samsa reminds me quite a bit of Sigur Rós but with vocals that are closer to the sad and earthy sound of Efrim Menuck in his A Silver Mt. Zion incarnation. The mood of this music is quite a bit like both of these bands; sad but not overly melancholy, sonically very analog-sounding which gives it a very real and tangible character, and overall seeming to chronicle a little slice of The Struggle without being morbid or fatalistic about it. I like that.

The use of a theremin and lap steel gives the music an American tone that sets it apart somewhat from its many Canadian and Nordic post-rock counterparts, and the tendency to explore the sometimes sparse chords that make up each track rather than try and overwhelm listeners with walls of sound and crashing crescendos is also a rather unique characteristic that makes the music quite appealing. Not that there aren’t buildups and crescendos – there are, they just don’t form the complete mark of the music. And Nikki King’s vocals are a pleasant change of pace from so many other post-rock bands. Not too many female singers in this genre, and she complements Champ Bennett beautifully.

My main impression when listening to this music is that these guys don’t seem to be in much of a hurry; to make music, to express themselves, to get through life. Every track is even-paced, laconic, and designed to give emphasis to each instrument, usually by means of highlighting them individually as they enter into a composition. It’s an interesting style and one that does not seem to become too familiar or mundane despite repeated playing. The long and lazy “Even Numbers” is very representative of the sound of the rest of the album and every time I play it I’m surprised that ten minutes have elapsed so quickly. “Loud and Clear” on the other hand seems much longer than the couple of minutes that the label says it runs. This is a very interesting talent of seeming to morph time that the band has.

There aren’t really any standout tracks here, but no weak ones either. This is a very consistent album that seems to have a theme even if that theme is not quite apparent.

I would recommend this highly to fans of the genre, as well as to progressive music fans who are looking for very well-orchestrated ‘mood’ music that can be played in the forefront and not simply as background sounds for a lazy afternoon. Frankly your afternoon might end up becoming lazy when you play it though, but you could probably do with a bit of a rest anyway so go ahead. Four stars and lookng forward to the next one.

peace

That pretty much takes the words out of my mouth. The most common Post-Rock formula (at least in people's minds) of "silence to violence" fails to capture Gregor Samsa. As the band said, everything is kept at the slow end of the spectrum. The album moves along like a raft in calm water, every minute movement is visible and introduced slowly. 55:12 may be called minimalist in this regard. Changes happen very slowly and every new instrument or variation will instantly be recognized by the listener. The songs do have their occasional crescendo where things speed up, begin to happen more quickly, and fill up to a sort of wall of sound instead of the albums standard sparse instrumentation, but even these don't escape the relaxed, calming, just gentle nature of 55:12. The album focuses on mood and succeeds, never failing to make you feel it. As such, this isn't a record which will have frequent rotation while you're working out, throwing a party, acting like a ninja, etc. It's the kind of music for a slow drive at night or sitting on your porch in the rain.

Two interweaving male and female vocalist make up Gregor Samsa's gimmick, for lack of a better word. The two vocalists, whether singing in harmony or soloing, with their rich, soothing voices, contribute the greatest to the music. Instrumentally the album is fantastic shying away from the bulk post-rock guitar sound of many bands in the genre and focuses more on piano, cello, and violin for its engaging sound, but with the vocals the album becomes Gregor Samsa without them so much is missing. The amazing chemistry between the two singers reminds me of a man and his wife talking in bed before sleep. So overpowering is the connection that I'd be shocked to find out that the two are not romantically involved.

There's a thin line between maintaining a mood and being monotonous. Gregor Samsa bravely walk the line, and never fall onto the uglier half. This certainly won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I doubt anyone will find anything objectionable about it. The Post-Rock genre contains far more variety than many here seem to realize; 55:12 may be your first step in discovering its scope.

It is mellow and mild, with rare climaxes, mostly song-oriented with both female and male whispering vocals. My eternal GY!BE-greed had been satisfied with tracks like "Even Numbers" (heavenly!!!), "Young and Old" and "Lessening". Girl's vocals are so tender and thin, somehow reminding me of Trip-Hop manner. Musically GREGOR SAMSA is mostly acoustic, almost pastoral, close to MONO or IMMANU EL in terms of creating peaceful and calm music. Excellent Post-Rock that reassures my love to the genre. Extremely recommended and not to be missed!!!