ALL IS VIOLENT, ALL IS BRIGHT

GOD IS AN ASTRONAUT has really surprised me. It's no secret that post-rock has serious problems with me: its too-long songs which consist of mostly one theme altered dynamically over time with crescendos that almost invariably end in a huge climax, all of this played in the same tempo, have never been my thing. I found a post-rock record I like a few months ago, and now I can say I've found another that even beats that one and becomes my favorite in this genre.

The great thing about "All is Violent, All is Bright" is that it plays to the strengths of the genre and not to the weaknesses (in my opinion of course). The songs (well, tracks, as none of them are actually sung) are very short, averaging about 4 and a half minutes each. In that short amount of time, it's much easier to accept that the idea of just one melody/theme being played repeatedly is enough to create a song. It helps and a lot that the melodies/themes that GOD IS AN ASTRONAUT comes up with are of the utmost beauty.

Another strong point of this record are the textures, the harmonies that can be found under the main melodic discourse. It has always been one of the good things about this genre, and in this recording the idea gets a perfect treatment. Layer after layer of guitars create a wonderful sonic world, populated by tons of colors that help magic emerge.

The tempos, also, are varied and never get repetitive. Next to slow tracks we have faster ones. The same can be said about the mood of the album. Such an atmospheric record as this never gets depressing, as many other albums in this genre do.

In general, "All is Violent, All is Bright" never sounds like it's trying too hard to be "modern" or "unique". The music, played with great skill by the excellent performers, is just what it needs to be. I thought of giving this album a perfect rating but I think that a little more thematic-melodic variation within tracks would have been welcome. Think of this rating as a 4.49.

Excellent record. One of the most atmospheric and magical I've heard in a long time.

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