A TOWER OF SILENCE

3.5 stars. The half star is because it is a definite step up from their 2009 debut, but this 2011 sophomore release fails to inspire me. This band is from Australia and they have been fairly consistent with releases since that 2009 debut. They have released seven studio albums including one this year in 2024. One of the biggest differences between this one and the debut is the sheer amount of instruments that have been added. Seeing moog, harpsichord, farfisa, clarinet, sax, slide guitar, string machine, bass pedals, fake mellotron and more is impressive, but these sounds are rarely heard by my ears.

I feel the compositions are better though, they have improved. In fact I feel this improvement continued with their 2017 release "The Second Hand", the only one I have given 4 stars to. So maybe I should be checking out their later albums if this "getting better" thing has continued. This album is over 72 minutes. Ouch! Lots of atmosphere which I like, and vocals which are okay.

Two songs stand out for me in "And I Wait For The World To End" and the closer "All That Is..." at over 11 minutes and divided into three sections. Lots of fake mellotron on the former and it sounds real good, plenty of that too on the closer, but maybe the most intense section on the album is on "All That Is..." with some rare lead piano, as well and two guest female singers.

This is a vocal heavy album to a fault in my opinion. And while they may have had a slow start to their careers, they certainly have improved as the years go by, and are still relevant today.