187 STEPS TO CROSS THE UNIVERSE

I don't really remember how I got to know Jardin de la Croix' music, but since I first listened to their music I was really interested. This band from Spain offers instrumental music with a clear post-rock tendency, they are the first Spanish band I know into this musical genre, and they really do a good job. They may not be as known as they deserve, but I am sure more people is getting into their music little by little, so please help them spreading the word.

Now in this 2013 they released their third (yes, third) studio album, showing the world they have the will and quality to look forward and create music that can please the strictest ears. The title of the album is "187 Steps to Cross the Universe", featuring four compositions that make a total time of 32 minutes, and this might be the main problem, I think it is so short, maybe another song would have rounded the 40 minutes, I said this because when the last song ends I say "and that's it? I want more!".

The album kicks off with "Man Made Lightning" , and since the very first seconds they let us know the music will be an explosion of sounds and feelings; I fucking love the energy they produce, I want to shake my head and eat the world while they are playing with such an energy and technique. The drums are filled with power, while bass and two guitars begin to speak between themselves, creating a vertiginous chat. After a minute the revolutions slow down for a while, but then it explodes again, adding new textures in the sound. Probably my favorite passage is after four minutes when they become crazy and share that power with their strings and drums.

"Topsy's Revenge" has more cadency, inherent softness with repetitive & hypnotizing guitars that create a delicious sound. After a minute drums appear and little by little a new structure is being created, a new story and much more emotions shared. What I love is how they manage to reach a climax, with an explosive movement that all of a sudden slows down without doing any harm, and then, just a few seconds later they bring again their powerful energy, so the music becomes awesome. After six minutes the song seems to finish, but wait three seconds and it will rise from the ashes to give us two last powerful minutes.

Let me tell you that though Jardin de la Croix provides the heavy side of post rock, they don't fit under the post metal genre, not at all, so don't get confused, don't prejudge and better give them a spin. The third track is "Colorado Springs" , it starts fats but little by little becomes faster and faster, the compositional and technical skills of the members are undeniable good, their talent is inherent and that can be easily appreciated in the songs. I am not sure, at least in the credits of this page does not appear, but I believe somewhere in this song keyboards appear creating a very soft atmosphere. In the final minutes a violin or a cello can also be appreciated, once again, I am not sure if they were played by a guest or one of the members used synth effect. But well, the song is really cool.

Finally, the longest composition closes the album, its name is "Talking with Planets" and it starts with a kind of scary spacey sound that is fading out little by little, but restarts when guitars appear, just before reaching the first minute bass and drums enter and then a piano can also be heard. Here I like the contrasts they produce, because the music can be soft and charming, but all of a sudden turn into an aggressive and powerful one. Here the bass sound stands out, I believe it is the song in which I could appreciate it better. Great song to finish a great album.

I am very satisfied with this band's music, and I want to invite you to discover it, you will not regret. My final grade will be 4 solid stars.

Enjoy it!