RAILROADS

Another great release that I never would have found out about without PA. "Railroads" by Lost Reverie does everything an EP should do: present musical ideas concisely, without a lot of flash. With only four relatively short songs, this is not nearly as "full" of a release as a complete album would be, but as far as an EP goes this one succeeds at everything it tries to do.

I would describe the music on "Railroads" as falling primarily on the more atmospheric, softer side of post-rock, but there are definitely heavy parts sprinkled in. There's a lot of delicate piano and some ethereal vocals thrown in, and all in all the arrangement is very good.

"Kumori" starts off the EP. The first part of the song is built around a repeating set of notes which is eventually developed with some minimal vocals, excellent percussion and some electronic effects which give the piece a unique feel. It takes a drastic turn at about its halfway point, getting much heavier and adding some excellent guitar soloing while keeping the same general harmonic progression. This second section makes the song feel very varied, and I think makes it much better than it would have been had it stuck with its first section for its entire 5 and a half minute duration.

"Ghosts" begins with a minor-key, somewhat sinister bass line which eventually has some very cool guitar and percussion added over it. Despite not having vocals, "Ghosts" is very similar structurally to "Kumori," with its first half characterized by a slow buildup of arrangement on top of its repeating element, and its second half adding a much heavier guitar part. I've always admired people who write Post-Rock type music for their ability to make music which is so built on repetition and yet never gets boring, and "Ghosts" only enforces that opinion. Though it's over 6 and a half minutes, it's never hard to listen to and certainly never wears on the listener's patience.

"Railroads" begins with some atmospheric sounds before a piano and some more vocals enter and the main melody picks up. This track, especially its second half, sounds very cheerful by Post-Rock's usually gloomy standards, and makes very good use of some string sounds to add to its ambience. There's another heavy section at the end, but the strings continue over it to create a very nice blend of melodic beauty and heaviness.

"Cloudy" concludes the EP. This song is driven primarily by a repeated piano line with acoustic guitar and strings backing it, and of the four tracks on the album it makes use of vocals most prominently. The only track on the album not to include a heavy section, "Cloudy" is a great closer that brings the EP to a nice thematic close, as it uses the same melody repeated melody as "Kumori," but an octave up and on a different instrument. It's a great way to tie the album together.

Overall, if I had to describe the tone of the music on this EP I would say "hopeful," which is a great thing in a genre that so often goes with "soul-crushing." As I mentioned before, one shouldn't expect this 21 minute EP to be as complete or fulfilling as a full album would be, but not a single moment of "Railroads" feels out of place. There are no stand-out, "take your breath away" tracks, but this really brilliant EP that executes everything it tries to do perfectly.

4/5