PORT-ROYAL

Flares is a gentle album that moves slowly and without much hurry. Port-Royal managed to create one of the most atmospherically pleasing post-rock release that's rich and full of soothing synth reminiscent to Sigur Ros' "Agaetis Byrjun", Daturah's debut, God Is An Astronauts' "All Is Violent, All Is Bright" and Mogwai's "Happy Songs For Happy People". The ambient in Flares takes a bigger role on the music compared to the previously mentioned albums (roughly 80% of the music is made up of tranquil soundscapes). The live instrumentation is sparse, but very effective when played and lifts the music to new highs. The crescendos are very few and far between and the effect isn't as heart-racing like other bands (but that's actually a good thing since it doesn't affect the flow of the album). There's also electronica beats in the album that appear just as much as the live instrumentation does.

The strength of the album is also its weak spot. While the ambient landscape is one of the better ones in Post-Rock, it can get too long and tiresome if you're not willing to devote yourself completely to the album. Another thing that drags it down is that its 77 minutes long! You'll need to have a strong appreciation for ambient music if you're going to sit through the whole album and enjoy it.

Port-Royal still managed to make something fairly unique with this album. Fans of Stars Of The Lid, NoSound, ambient music, electronica and the Post-Rock mentioned above may enjoy Flares. So don't pull back if you're interested, but if you're not a fan of ambient music then think twice before getting this.