TINY FRAGMENTS

Tangled Thoughts of Leaving are an Australian band that are still on the rise and apparently honing their style. I got a gracious request from the band to check out their EP as apparently they will have a full album release in 2011. TINY FRAGMENTS shows us a band well versed in the modern realm of post rock, but working to expand the boundaries by adding jazz, metal elements, and an accelerated sense of movement. One of my least favorite parts of post rock (and post metal) is that despite a great sense of atmosphere, there just isn't enough happening. TToL really have fixed this issue, and their sound is more likely to appeal to prog fans in general while using the sonic palette of post- styles.

The final track of the EP, "The Banshee" is superficially the most true to genre. However, the piece evolves relatively quickly into an area that would best be described as a kind of heavy fusion. The drums are especially jazz-y, but there are also fusion elements heard in chord choice and piano lines. The piece eventually becomes quite heavy with fast, aggressive crashes that are probably found nowhere else in the genre. When the piece drops in intensity, there is still alot going on, and you get the feeling that the drummer is about to burst while playing straight beats. He's quickly let loose again and the intensity rises, but so does the complexity to the point where we're almost in the realm of avant-jazz. If that sounds a little scattered, it's because the band does lose their focus at times. On the mentioned track, everything gels well enough, and in fact I think "The Banshee" is the best part of the EP.

The rest of the album is the three part "Tiny Fragments." The overall sound is similar to what I've described, with the limits stretched further into different genres. Harsh vocals enter at one point, and there are sections that border on straight jazz. The piece (and the album) opens with something that I might call brutal fusion, and weaves in small interludes of piano jazz. Needless to say, this isn't music for a pop fan or even most symphonic proggies. The juxtapositions are certainly stark, but most of the time they work. There are other bands doing heavy jazz fusion, but none seem as deliberate or composed. This suits me fine as I'm not a big fan of recorded jamming. Here we get carefully crafted frameworks that still allow the players freedom to explore.

A few of the multitude of pieces / parts don't work. The vocals in part I of the long piece don't do much for me, though I suppose they fit crazy music like this better than some genres. Part 2 consists partly of a free time electronic interlude which eventually withdraws to accompany come gentle piano. Part 3 returns to the band's base sound (post-rock over amphetaminized jazz drums) with a number of variations. After wandering a bit, the piece finishes with a heavy crash. While still solid (a kind of punch drunk take on the post- sound), this section is the weakest on the EP.

The overall moving force of this band seems very promising. Their goal of whetting my appetite for their upcoming album is easily met. I do hope the band has consolidated their sound a little better, and has a more unified vision for the album as a whole. But this is a great start, a very enjoyable listen. It sits somewhere between 3 and 4 stars overall, but given its short length and the fact that I'm hoping better is on its way, I'm leaving some room for improvement.

Cheers to the band.

P.S. This album is a free download from the band's site as of Jan 2011. Easy to check it out if you're into these kinds of sounds.

Share this TANGLED THOUGHTS OF LEAVING review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to Negoba
• Report this review (#380113)
• Buy TANGLED THOUGHTS OF LEAVING music online with PA partners
• Show all TANGLED THOUGHTS OF LEAVING MP3/Stream
• Go to TANGLED THOUGHTS OF LEAVING page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to Tiny Fragments page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for TANGLED THOUGHTS OF LEAVING related discussions