IN A SAFE PLACE

Another post-rock album. Which means it's a cross between background music, and a lullaby. Don't expect me to love it in the same way I love genesis or king crimson, there isn't enough here for that. But don't write it off just yet. I'll give it this: it is extremely pretty. Background lullaby it may be, but it fulfils that role perfectly, soothing my brain with its gentle beauty. Whether the music is happy or sad, I don't find myself made elated or saddened by it; more, I am left calmed by its aural stillness. Through more critical lenses, it might sound as if I am calling it unmoving, or, worse, boring. But sitting in the Italian countryside, drinking a bicchiere di vino rosso, it certainly doesn't feel that way. In a musical world populated by figures such as Steven Wilson, Robert Fripp, and Peter Gabriel, who are capable of pulling your heart out through your eyes and putting your emotions through a mangle, it is to be seen as a rather positive trait that this album can simply be played, heard, and enjoyed. It really is very pretty. The backing music has an oddly musical box-esque feel to it. No, not the genesis masterpiece, I mean it has that same soothing twinkle one would see a tiny ballerina rotating to in nurseries of old. In places, this gives way to melancholic string arrangements, and a piano. Over the top, simple vocal melodies carry their mixture of lyrical poetry and pseudo-linguistic sounds, from which one feels invited to create one's own poetry inside one's ear. Overall, then, as far as post-rock goes, this album ends up being something of a favourite, even if it isn't a hugely engaging listening experience. It has seen a good deal of listening time as I head towards slumber of an evening. For these reasons, I shall shock you all, and give this album 4/5