SOYUZ

Incredibly talented and sonically intriguing Norwegian band Gazpacho have always been an exponent of melodic and dreamlike art rock, unfairly compared to Radiohead every now and then, while their music does not rely upon the use of electronica as much, and is far more rooted, focused and layered. Occasionally they would go for more elevated production and release a more atmospheric album with longer pieces, which is exactly the case with 2018's 'Soyuz', a record I remember listening to around the time it was released, leaving me wondering what more this band could do. Somewhat of a concept album, this record has been said to tell the stories of people "frozen in time". The cold rupturing thread does run along the song on here, eventually depicted best by the sweeping violins, one of the great attributes of Gazpacho's sound.

With its promising first half, where the album ebbs and flows between more intense moments and episodes of elevated suspense, where the melancholic notes lavishly punctuate the compositions, and the vocals offer a sense of engulfing embrace in the presentation of the stories told, the second half seems to attempt a replication of all the great highlights of what preceded the first couple of songs, but in an even less upbeat manner, which ultimately leads to their dissolution into the album's structure, making up for what I would personally consider the more forgettable half. The album generally moves away from the heavier tones of past releases like 'Night' or 'Tick Tock', which are usually referenced as the band's strongest output. 'Soyuz' is a good album and a fine listen if one seeks a more melancholy-ridden jab of art rock.