HE HAS LEFT US ALONE BUT SHAFTS OF LIGHT SOMETIMES GRACE THE CORNER OF OUR ROOMS

One of my first discoveries in the post-rock realm (outside Tortoise that is) was GYBE! And two days later I was discovering ASMZ's debut, which at the time, I was unaware that this second group is an offshoot of the first. But the musical connections are evident, except that the sound is stripped almost bare (compared to the full 9 musos band in GYBE!) and that most of the tracks are sung (in a plaintive and slightly irksome vocals), but the mysterious nature of the music remains and the tensions and lenghty ambiances are more intimate and maybe less spine shivering.

Those of you picking up the Cd should know that it is made up of two lenghty suites made of 4 sections each for a total of eight tracks (this was released as a vinyl first and they did not correct the tracks numbering for the Cd edition). Again as with GYBE! and other Constellation records releases, very few infos are given out and whatever few are , they are not easily readable or understood. This is, of course, fully intentional as GYBE! always claimed that they were not ready to explain their work but rather let their work explain THEM. Of course this attitude is very aesthetically pure, but one can wonder if there is a really deep feeling behind these obscure, sombre and melancholic but generally directionless tracks except for the beautiful atmospheres and calm ambiances. Another difference with the main project is that the music on this record never reaches enormous climaxes such as on the first two GYBE! albums. But one can just choose to enjoy the album without searching the deeper meanings (provided that there are some, but if there none then those intriguing titles would be just a marketing ploy) buried in such bizarre records as those. Not sure that these Constellations records will stand the test of time, but they will remain cult classics for sure!!