WE WILL CARRY YOU OVER THE MOUNTAINS

While Finland is more known for extreme metal and dark folk in the 21st century, the country has produced other surprises. One of those comes from the coastal city of Pori where the post-rock band MAGYAR POSSE developed their own unique take on the genre. Although established in 2002 many of the members had been playing together in one form or another for many years prior. With the success of bands like Sigur Ros and Godspeed! You Black Emperor taking the 90s by storm, it was a matter of time before the post-rock style would spread far and wide across the globe and since Finland is a land not overly different from the cold frigid of Siguar Ros' native Iceland, it is not too surprising that this band shares many similarities.

This debut album WE WILL CARRY YOU OVER THE MOUNTAINS is almost entirely instrumental with only a couple tracks finding wordless vocals. "Single Sparks Are Spectral Fires" finds the female vocal charm of Laura Sorvala whereas "Witchcraft," the male counterpart version. The album is unique in that it takes the production sensibilities of Godspeed! and Sigur Ros but marries the post-rock paradigm with more German based Krautrock elements that steer the mid-tempo hypnotic rhythmics which segue into cyclical grooves that are multi-layered with guitar reverb, volatile atmospheric overcast by two keyboardists and lugubrious melodic developments. Comparisons to Neu! are common since the band often utilizes the motorik style of progression that evokes the classic albums of the 70s.

Like most post-rock, MAGYAR POSSE nonchalantly ratchets its way up the intensity scale as it creeps along with the cyclical grooves along with a steady beat, subtle guitar riffing and bass grooves but finds its way to more energetic crescendoes. The album comes off as a really long melancholic arch that's larger than life, sometimes bringing the simplicity of Mogwai to mind and at other times the mood drenched magnanimity of both Godspeed! and Sigur Ros with more varying elements scattered about. The title does indeed sound like zephyr winds carrying you gently over a mountain range with gently atmospheric breezes and rhythmic progressions in no hurry to get you there. While the rock elements are subdued there are ample outbursts into heavier distortion, more energized percussion and overall bombast but for the most part this is a calming journey.

The soundtrack inspired melodies have been compared to those of Ennio Morricone as they create epic tones and timbres that convey a mental portrait of the images they convey. Some tracks evoke a touch a lounge jazz, others fuzzed out Krautrock and at times more hypnotic droning but the main gist is that a rhythmic drive provides the stability and the double pronged keyboard approach delivers a formless synthesized haze. Even a music box is implemented on "The Endless Cycle Of Violence" which ensures a continuous diversity of the otherwise monotonous grooves and unhurried processions. While MAGYAR POSSE would become even more experimental over the years before their ultimate disbanding in 2012, WE WILL CARRY YOU OVER THE MOUNTAINS is quite the accomplishment for sounding utterly unique yet clearly existing within the confines of the post-rock paradigm.