POST ROCK/MATH ROCK

Germany's "Long Distance Calling" was a victim of this. Their very well produced and rather beautiful early music was put aside because, to be honest, it brought nothing new to the table. It was run-of-the-mill post-rock with the same crescendos and atmospheres we expect from the genre. But now, with 2013's "The Flood Inside", they've changed it up. They've got a vocalist.

Going through the current reviews and fans' reactions to this album, it's not looking good for LDC, but the simple fact is that they are being innovative, something the post-rock genre has needed since 1999. Marsen Fischer's voice, which appears on 4 of the 9 tracks, brings the band back to a more alternative rock style, but their roots as an instrumental band remain. Any generic alternative rock band with a guitar and a bass would think very little of the noise going on underneath the hook lines, but it's quite clear the vocals here were the last thing on, with LDC's signature layering of sound and texture crawling underneath Fischer's crystal clear vocal lines.

The backlash against the band is only expected, they have dropped an underground and progressive style for a more mainstream and accessible one, but I think they have simultaneously improved both genres in doing it. Long Distance Calling are simultaneously the most innovative post-rock band of today, and the most innovative alternative rock band of today, and that is something that will let them break through.

"Monoform" A heavy beat under counterintuitive electronics batters its way through the first moments of the album before the piece settles into a comfortable rhythm. The ending sweeps in like the cold fury of a blizzard.

"The Trap" Continuing the pleasant but urgent pace of the previous track, "The Trap" quiets down, allowing the bass drum to mark the intensity. Gradually growing in loudness, the end of the piece possesses blasts of growling guitar.

"Recur" Peppy and lighthearted, this first song has low vocals, both in the fore and as backup. Rolling snares provide added energy even when the vocals tend to drag.

"Later Than You Think" Soft, semi-plucked tones are met with deep rumbles below. Grungy rock punctuates and contrasts with the light electronic elements.

"Meatman, Piano Tuner, Prostitute" Feathery piano-like music in an odd time signature brings in Steven Wilson-like vocals. The concluding passage nears the likes of doom metal.

"Art/Choke" After a blazing rock passage, a sputtering, thudding bass leads the charge, essentially setting up a basic rhythm, allowing the washes of sound and the active drums to paint a picture of sound over it.

"Heal" Perhaps predictably the most tranquil and soothing of the music presented, "Heal" relies on soft, crashing waves and gentle timbres.

"All Our Ends" My favorite track on the album, "All Our Ends" has much more convincing vocals with a satisfying harmony. The guitars are sprightly, while the drumming during the second verse puts the cheerful factor right where it should be. Acoustic guitar adds another agreeable layer.

"Spun Infinite" The final song is a dirge-like tune, without percussion, and somehow very distant.

Even with a permanent lead vocalist in the lineup, the music on "The Flood Inside" is predominantly instrumental like the case were on earlier releases by the band. Even the tracks which feature vocals also feature longer instrumental sections. The colourful and often atmospheric guitar playing, the occasionally heavy distorted riffing and the quite busy drumming by Janosch Rathmer are still central in the band's music, like they have been since day one. The musicianship is overall on a high level. Marsen Fischer has a bit of an anonymous and not very distinct sounding voice, but his singing is pleasant enough and suits the music well. "The Flood Inside" is well produced and features a warm and pleasant sound.

"The Flood Inside" is in many ways a quality release by Long Distance Calling, but that's to be expected from these guys. However they seldom reach the excellent mark, where their music takes me away to another dimension and therefore my rating is closer to 3.5 stars (70%) than a full 4 (80%). It's still a great release though.

This almost two hour double album starts with easily the best track. "Cold Front" is a spine tingling gem, incorporating gorgeous pads and an incredible yet simple and haunting guitar melody. This is definitely a song I keep coming back to. As an aside, the film clip is also intriguing and brilliantly presented.

From here, Marc Byrd and Andrew Thompson don't change the formula a great deal. There's some sparse vocals on various tracks and there are a few tempo changes here and there, but for the most part we get what we expect on a Hammock release.

And that's also why I find it hard to criticise the album. As I said, it achieves what it sets out to do. This is the perfect kind of album for playing in the background while doing something else. It's not intrusive and it creates a great mood. But I don't feel it does anything to set itself apart from numerous other albums out there designed to do the same thing.

However, if you're after beautiful, atmospheric post-rock to lull your senses, you can't really go wrong here.

I'd bought 'Inni', a kind of live greatest hits album, to try and break the code of their music. Doing so paid dividends.

Only a few songs carry from one to the other, but you understand what to expect throughout.

Documentary? No, I don't think so. It's the heart-warming story of a band getting close to their roots, their culture and their country.

The lack of pretension is apparent throughout. It is never about them.

But it IS about people. Families, the young and old alike. All belong, and all are welcome.

Their sound is comfortable amongst the starkness of the environment.

Towards the end, they tease you into thinking that their musical palette is pleasant, almost gentle, but fear not, the rawness of their power gets to be unleashed in an astonishing finale.

Life-affirming, rustic and very special. You may need to have to acclimatise yourself with them beforehand, but it's well worth the effort.

My interest was reignited by seeing the film 'We bought a zoo', featuring the music of 'Jonsi, one of the band members.

So, I'd read that 'Inni' was like a 'live' greatest hits album, and I had no hesitation in giving it a go. I'm pleased that I did...

Their music varies from what I might class as 'popular' to 'weird'. It's the latter that I prefer... And to this end, disc 2 is probably better for me. And on this is 'Popplagid', an immensely powerful song, and one that I hadn't heard of before. If you've not heard this, you simply must, and the good thing is, it lasts some 15 minutes...

After listening to 'Inni', I felt that I could try and watch the film 'Heima', and I'm really glad that I did. An interesting film and a fantastic finale.

If you, like me, couldn't quite get a grip on 'Sigur ros', then 'Inni' is a good place to start. And then, if you can, check out the film 'Heima'. Overall, an astonishing experience, and life- affirming.

The frantic battle of guitar and sax continues for awhile until about 13 minutes in when it shifts and the sax disappears. The drum and guitar just start hammering in, fading out, and hammering back in. Then starts to dramatically pick back up in a very Crimsonian way. After that it starts to sound very playful and maybe a little Zappa-esque. It then gets a bit jazzier and starts shifting tempo multiple times. It's a very bright sounding piece with tones they use, if also quite chaotic. I have to comment that I love Sean McDermott's guitar tone.

About 19 minutes in trumpet comes, sounding a bit like King Crimson's Lizard, but with perhaps's experimental edge and constant rhythm keeping it sounding their own. As it continues it develops into more of a psychedelic krautrock sound that works fantastically with the addition of trumpet. It starts to progress into more of Hawkwind psychedelia as guitar becomes more and more prominent. It begins to calm down, which is short lived and it becomes louder and energy picks back up as the drums start crashing in louder and louder.

At about 27 minutes in it shifts moods again, becoming more playful, until after a minute it suddenly stops, doing something similar to what they did back at 13 minutes. The drums and guitar keep hammering on for another minute until it descends into a calmer post rock atmosphere. After a few minutes strings are added in as it starts to pick up. It reaches a powerful crescendo until suddenly dropping. It immediately picks back up even higher then it was before. The guitar goes into a solo over the strings and pounding drums that is just fantastic. The drums continue to pound louder and louder over the guitar and the strings until finally it is all brought down into the powerful conclusion of a masterpiece.

This album is truly amazing. I cannot recommend this enough to any fan of progressive music, and it is a fantastic introduction to the post/math rock genre if you've yet to explore it.