MIDAS FALL

Summarizing and fitting MIDAS FALL somewhere is relatively complicated, their music is a mixture of alternative rock, progressive rock and post rock, I would personally classify them as climatic rock in that there are calm passages and others on the contrary very rock, very energetic, the title track is therefore very representative of what I have just written. It is sometimes said that the voice is an instrument in its own right, that is exactly what happens here with the vocals of Elizabeth HEATON. Female vocals are an element that must be taken into account in the originality of their music.

The opening track "In the Morning We'll Be Someone Else" begins gently on the piano before the guitars appear tense and nervous, it's moving to say the least, a little Siouxsie side very present on the elegiac vocals of Elizabeth HEATON (9/10)."I Am Wrong" starts with tribal drums, the rhythm here taking precedence over the other instruments, it's almost post rock metal, here again it effectively cleans up the eardrums (8/10).The third track "Salt" is calmer at the beginning (fortunately in a certain way), this time it's ambient post rock wave, a tense atmosphere once again (8/10 ) from ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN with MIDAS FALL sauce! "In This Avalanche" delicate piano at the opening, Elizabeth's diaphanous voice, superb strings, deep and cottony at the same time, the first soft track of the album (8/10). Change of register with "Point of Diminishing Return", a powerful electronic whirlwind, reminiscent of Thomas DOLBY or even Gary NUMAN and his metropolitan army, all in supercharged mode, my favorite piece on the entire disc ( 10/10).

"Monsters" which comes next, is the second calm track, magnificent high-pitched voice, lots of strings here again, high class melodic post rock which accelerates gradually, a cross between THE CURE and ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN (already mentioned), the cream of the British new wave of the eighties with the sound of 2024 (9/10). "Atrophy" is probably the most ionesque of the pieces, where the vocal phrasing of Elizabeth HEATON joins that of Joanna HOGG, pleasant but one of the least exciting on the record for my taste (7/10). The title track which follows, the longest of the album, close to six minutes, engages in the same channel, ethereal vocals in a dreamy mist which soar well beyond from 1:24, evanescent without pun intended, the trills of six strings, mainly from Rowan BURN, burst out, even splashing on a mid tempo sprinkled with strings (them again) and percussions of real inventiveness, the second pearl of the work (10/10).

The last two tracks "Little Wooden Boxes" first of all, a calm, sweet singing, before the rise in tension of the guitar from 1:11 with vocals that rise higher, percussive handclaps, a climatic mid tempo, a bit like the whole album, which gets energized at 3:40 to close with powerful guitars, a wall of sounds (8/10). Finally the last one "Mute" is excellent in the melodic post rock genre, too short in my opinion, the listener is never satisfied (!), the unbridled synthesizers and the demonic percussions do tons to delight our ears (8/10).

MIDAS FALL, a revelation for me, it's never too late to catch up, I will nevertheless listen carefully to their previous productions.

Being a total pushover for dense atmospheres and a celestial voice, the very first seconds of "Bruise Pusher" nailed me to a proverbial cross of infinite salvation, as the tingling harp line intermingles with dense guitar swaths, walls of orchestrated string and a female vocalist by the name of Elizabeth Heaton that radiates both delicate power and shimmering beauty. The title track veers to a more electronic realm, with brooding, almost sinister bass tremors, the plaintive emanations from her sorrowful voice hitting hard and most of all, a constantly hopeful piano twinkle that serves to raise the spirit. The orchestrations again rule the waves, as the vaporizing water flood the ears. "Soveraine" segues perfectly into a heartfelt chant, each note expressive and meaningful in its fragility, guided along by the layered cello, as well as echoing guitar arpeggios, and a sense of eternity that just grabs at the senses. Imagine a proggier version of Portishead, Beth Gibbons was after all, one of the finest singers in music. This impression is most evident on the immensely seductive "Glue", featuring a magnificent performance all around, what with the electronic pace, the symmetric guitar rasps and that serpentine swirl of a siren sitting atop a rocky crag, beckoning the sailors to meet their fate. The denouement is just plain sublime. An exhausted piano serenely searches for a new avenue of expression, even more sedate than the previous commotion, "Sword to Shield" showcases a more orchestral chamber quartet feel that provides excruciating beauty to the arrangement, kneeling at the shrine of forceful emotional rapture and acceptance. Here again, the pained buildup of "Dust and Bone" emits an overt sense of vulnerability, hesitantly bold in a rather odd way, as exemplified by the percussive percolations of Ross Cochran-Brash's kit. This gem is followed ideally by a swooning voice that glimmers in the twilight, "Awake" suggesting that gentle rekindling of awareness that initiates every day, the consciousness of breath and senses. A pastoral deflection on the originally bright "In Sunny Landscapes", a peeling off layers of resistance, reflective in the mood variations and the basic simplicity of the arrangement, the heavenly voice firmly ingrained, the sweet orchestrations ruffling no feathers, and a perfect landing finale. As if wishing to define the notion of contrast, the cottony mist of "Lapsing" is like witnessing a solo piano dirge that slowly escalates out of its two-note torpor, a dripping cello expressing deep felt emotions and a bass furrow opting for even more undertow gloom, this tremendous piece is where the darker side resides. Somber, ghostly, and utter melancholy. Would you be at all surprised if the final track is the apotheosis of this album, fittingly encapsulating all the qualities that make this a sensational discovery? "Howling at the Clouds" is the stamp on your sonic passport, proving that you have entered the realm of the divine. After the childlike piano intro, the zither has its say, the reverberating drums echoing off the walls, trembling guitars that seem to shriek and bellow, setting the table for the vocalized mournful story, eventually stormed by the onsetting winds of despondence, scattering the clouds in all directions. A magnificent silence it all.

This was an overwhelming experience the first time I heard it and now, ten times in, it just keeps revealing itself to me as a prized masterpiece.

5 dehydrations

Intrigued to hear the rest of Midas Fall's output but in isolation I'd imagine this album works both ways; as an entry point into the Post Rock style for those looking to explore it, and as a branching out of the norm for anyone who's tastes are firmly in the genre.

1. "Bruise Pusher" (3:57) edgy sound coming from the sharply distorted guitars makes this one feel raw despite clean drums and Elizabeth's harp keys and long, sustained vocalizations. Still, this is fresh, potent, and packs a wallop in the instrumental sections. (9/10)

2. "Evaporate" (5:38) spacious chamber music opening turning electro-trip-hoppy with the advent of Elizabeth's long held reverbed vowels. Delicate piano flourishes alternate with sections in which heavy bass parts and full strings fill the soundscape. Definitely a top three song for me and one of my favorite Midas Fall songs of all-time. (9.5/10)

3. "Soveraine" (5:45) Elizabeth singing between the spacious aural field of multiple cello tracks, delicately picked (later, tremoloed) guitar notes. The loud arrival of what-feels-like orchestra waves lasts a brief few seconds before backing away, but then another series of waves washes in via Rowan's tremoloed guitar. Another quiet section is marched along by what feels like a tympanic rhythm pattern as guitars and strings rise and fall around Elizabeth's steady singing. (8.75/10)

4. "Glue" (3:52) The most "normal" Midas Fall song on the album, with a more normal CURE-like full sound palette and multiple vocal tracks and approaches--the lead one being in Elizabeth's trademark plaintive voice. The song builds to a mini-crescendo in the third minute before breaking for a little DEPECHE MODE-like modular synth bridge, then bursting forth into a heavy instrumental section to finish. (9/10)

5. "Sword To Shield" (4:00) opens with a very spacious soundscape with only a tinkering piano and delicate vocals filling the room. Cello eventually and sporadically joins in before a slow Post Rock soundscape fills the aural pathways in the third minute. But then it all reverts to the spacious sparsity of the opening section in the fourth minute for Elizabeth's final vocal input. The end is full band but still not mega-crescendoing like typical Post Rock fare. (9/10)

6. "Dust and Bone" (4:01) one of Midas Fall's masterful renderings in which they seem to be expressing the fragility of the human mind. Elizabeth is masterful as is the music in perfect support of the theme and intended mood. A top three song for me. (9.5/10)

7. "Awake" (2:13) gently picked guitars back Elizabeth's distant-sounding voice--a voice that is almost spoken, almost absent-minded, almost whispered. Then she sings in a stronger voice a "You are" chorus finishing the song by completing her sentence with the title word. Cool! (4.75/5)

8. "In Sunny Landscapes" (5:27) Enya-like voice and sustained single notes (and, later, chords) from Rowan's guitars open this song. Bass, strummed electrified acoustic guitar and cello join in during the vocal break in the second minute, then Elizabeth rejoins and quickly shifts to a very high register for some emotional singing. By the fourth minute I can't help wondering if this is going to stay in the realm of modern pop songs or develop into something more but, instead--surprise--the sound de-escalates and thins for a delicate vocal section sung in Elizabeth's normal speaking range. The following musical patch is interlaced with wordless vocals among the keys, guitars, bass, and sparse drums before Elizabeth finishes the song with one last verse in her high voice. (9/10)

9. "Lapsing" (4:09) opens with two low single note drones before zither-like piano-keyboard and distant cymbols and guitar slowly join in. The pace is ultra slow, drawn out, with a soundscape reminiscent of early MONO pieces (You Are There and Hymn to the Immortal Wind). The second half of the song sees the addition of cello and deep keyboard bass line as Elizabeth's vocals get a little creepy. Bass drum kicks in as sonic field fills. It's ominous and unsettling. But good. (9/10)

10. "Howling At The Clouds" (4:23) opens like a Post Rock evolution of a CURE song before breaking down to an emptiness in which Elizabeth's voice enters and fills our souls. The return of the music en force is immaterial to Elizabeth's singular intent or delivery, yet the instrumental section that follows her cessation is quite powerful-- seeming to reinforce or reverberate the effect of her message. This is awesome! Post Rock at its best--at its most pure. (9.5/10)

Five stars; a minor masterpiece of progressive rock music! This is the least Post Rock conforming album that I've heard from Elizabeth and Rowan but it is my favorite!

Five star songs: the haunting, heavy, heart-wrenching, triphoppy opener, 1. "The Unravelling King" (5:37) (10/10); the surprisingly layered, textured 4. "Our World Recedes" (5:21) (10/10); the power vocal and TORI AMOS sound of 9. "BPD" (4:27) (10/10); the sensitive, dreamy and careful finale, "Wilderness" (5:42) (10/10) 6. the short but packs a punch 6. "Fight First" (2:12) (9/10); 3. "Carnival Song" (5:04) (9/10); and, the deceptively delicate, Sarah MacLachlan-like; "The Moon and The Shine" (5:50) (9/10).

Five stars; a minor masterpiece of progressive rock music.

The best Math Rock/Post Rock album of 2013.