GOODBYE TO DUSK FAREWELL TO DAWN

4.5 stars .What an incredible release by these young men from Germany. The music is so emotional, reaching deep into the heart. And for me the vocalist is the key, his vocals can be so gentle and fragile, to theatrical and strong. Mostly sung in English with some Spanish and Italian added to the mix with excellent results.

We get things started with "A New Atlantis" which begins with 2 minutes of reserved vocals accompanied with keyboards. The mellow atmosphere is broken by some loud drums and guitar (sounds great) which have a Post-Rock vibe. The fragile vocals return and so does the atmosphere as the drums leave and the accoustic guitar replaces the keyboards from earlier. "Tartaros" features some light keyboards as things build. Vocals stand out here as well. Check out the lyrics ."...stumble through the wilderness you create". An emotional track and one of my favs. "Gangsters" has theatrical vocals, nice guitar riffs, throbbing bass and some cool sax and keyboard work.

"The Drowning Man In My Hands" is my favourite. We have these gentle vocals sounding similar to Thom Yorke from RADIOHEAD (just not as mournful) for about 5 1/2 minutes. A piano melody enters the scene that creates beauty, drums start to pound, then the vocals burst forth like the sun through the storm clouds (my favourite part on the album), then suddenly it's over. So moving. These guys have been mentioned as sounding like SIGUR ROS, and I think it's a combination of the way they let things build and the beauty they create. "Hide Inside" is another preferred song for me. It's difficult to explain how emotional this song makes me. "Clock Hands Heart" is similar to "The Drowning Man In My Hands" in that it slowly builds with vocals and guitar to start (lots of atmosphere) and then intensifies to drums, guitar and vocals, followed with an organ solo before it ends as it began. "New Day" is sung in Italian with lots of mood shifts. A Post-Rock flavour 8 1/2 minutes in.

What a start to these young guys careers. I just don't know how they are going to top this.

P.S. : I originally rated this at 4 stars but here I am 4 1/2 years later still moved by this album. It may not be perfect but it is a 5 star album for me.