OCEANSIZE

Oceansize is one of those prog rock bands that is hard to classify due to their general style of music. Are they alt prog with their hardcore sound that bands like Coheed And Cambria follow suit? Are they contemporary prog due to their sound having similar veins to that of Porcupine Tree? Are they psych prog for their use of modern day psychedelia like what Crippled Black Phoenix does? It is hard to pinpoint these lads from the UK, but even then their music is an excellent foray into this vibrant land of psychedelic infused hardcore prog rock. I find their best release to be Effloresce at the moment, but I think their EP of Music For Nurses is a surprise close second.

Music For Nurses EP is a transitional EP where Oceansize went away from their glitchy space rock leanings on Effloresce, and more towards a post hardcore impression on Everyone Into Position. This means Music For Nurses feels a bit more focused on the hardcore side of the band, whilst also dabbling in moments of space rock magnitude.

My favorite moments on this EP are actually the more post rock-esque attitudes that infuse space rock texture, mostly of the second half with Dead Dogs An' All Sorts and As The Smoke Clears. The first half is a bit more hardcore, which I think is really great. It adds this nice little divide between the two sides of Oceansize, the more raging and dramatic hardcore side that dabbles in a more alternative prog way, and the calmer post rock and space elements that is more akin to contemporary prog, with the third track, Drag The 'Nal, being this in between piece that allows these two sides of Oceansize together, which I find makes this album all but bad.

I have one issue that doesn't quite make this EP be my favorite though, and it is more of a preference thing, but I prefer the more space rock leanings that Effloresce delivered, and I was kinda disappointed to not have found them here, or on Everyone Into Position. While I do really like this EP, I never quite enjoyed it as much as their more space and psychedelic leanings that they strayed from over their career. While I know and appreciate bands for changing and moving on, I cannot help but miss those old days.

Sentimentalities aside, I think this is a great EP all around, a good one to check into if you like the more hardcore and noisy side of prog. Definitely recommended for a good time.

1. The Charm Offensive with a new sound that arrives, with a touch of hard, another of grunge, another on ALICE IN CHAINS, SOUNGARDEN, then some Psychedelic/Space Rock I don't believe in it; an uphill, captivating title that cleanses the ears, 10 years before I had pleasantly suffered the arrival of SMASHING PUMPKINS, 2. Heaven Alive for a rock title that aims to lean towards the hard rock of yesteryear, captivating 3. A Homage to a Shame goes even stronger, haunting, stressful, hypnotizing, syncopated, a violent riff and soft vocals for a thunderous musical unfolding; a violent sound which by dint of increasing would become catchy, well for the moment it's ultra violent and the prog blood is well blocked; but what a killer this title is 4. Meredith changes neighborhood; premelodic sweetness and throbbing sound, psyche marker of backward SMASHING; melodic like water flowing out of the mountain and which does not know where to go, the length gives the progressive sense as on TOOL for example, yes the prog hides under the rock and diffuses its air 5. Music for a Nurse hush an OMNI is there; this note, this note, this piano key, the reverberation, the monolithic sound, excellence sometimes doesn't need much; Mike speaks, it sounds like a CURE psych track; it goes up, the post-rock sound at its highest point, on a more rock SIGUR ROS; one of the most beautiful crescendo in the history of rock quite simply, Dantesque in density

6. New Pin for dark rock, post from afar, a slow consensual ballad where the shadow of CURE hovers over it, paradoxical given their musical origins 7. No Tomorrow but yes still a reminiscence of SMASHING PUMPKINS in the good sense of the word with this flowing variation and this deluge of the chorus; break on a TOOL tune which doesn't look like much but puts you in a trance and throws some prog blood balls at anyone here; final drums and explosive riff, enjoyable let's say it 8. Mine Host for a little 'Music' for the intro, the rest leaning on cold psychedelic rock, that's good; title too short to take as an interlude after the flood 9. You Can't Keep a Bad Man Down more math-rock, more into it, more rock yes but; the break which cuts through a spatial psyche time before the collapse of the supersaturated dreamlike chorus; the ending is a bit heavy, too predictable but given the previous pieces I had to act grumpy 10. Ornament / The Last Wrongs barely perceptible sequence with the post-spatial intro, some Floydian sound effects I hear an oar and a crystalline guitar, a delicate arpeggio which reverberates; a Nursian facsimile but not 3 minutes and the energetic, electric rock sound occurs; a voice, choirs for a rising air, for a vibrant and latent finale, yes the psyche is even expressed in a distraught atmosphere; the pleasure of still hearing the organ even if the sound goes down, down... down.

All's well that ends decently, I guess.

Oceansize's first three albums are pretty well balanced as far as sound goes. Their unique blend of ambient shoegaze interspersed with heavy interludes and breakdowns was a nice niche as far as modern British prog rock outfits go, and their final album here isn't bad here. The only difference is that this album just isn't as cohesive as the others.

"Part Cardiac", the intro song, is rather obnoxious. It's loud from beginning to end, it doesn't change at all, and there's a certain frequency being played that irritates my ears. It's literally unlistenable, otherwise I feel like I'm getting tinnitus just from listening to it. "Superimposer" feels like a bit of a nod to early 90's emo groups like American Football and Mineral, but it still just seems a bit too loud. Even "Build Us A Rocket Then" would be a great technical song if it were mixed just a bit softer.

"Oscar Acceptance Speech" feels a bit more like classic Oceansize; lengthy, dramatic, soft atmospheres with heavy droning, while "Ransoms" is a nice ballad interlude of sorts, although "A Penny's Weight" is just as soft and cushy. Two songs in stark contrast from the first few.

"Silent/Transparent" also begins with a very American Football-esque sound, until the drama increases and builds like a classic post-rock track (think Explosions in the Sky), slowly building from soft to loud, while "It's my Tail and I'll Chase It If I Want To" is a bit more schizophrenic. "Pine" is a pleasant, almost catchy tune, while "Superimposter" and "Cloak" end the album from mellower to mellowest.

All around, apart from "Part Cardiac", the rest of the album is just fine. There aren't any real standouts or memorable tracks, but they're all fine on rotation. The biggest problem is the lack of cohesion and track listing. Loud and soft tracks are bunched together and few songs on the album balance both like previous albums. It seems like a classic example of band members trying to write in different directions in the same song, which could make sense why the band broke up.

It's a shame, really, but Oceansize made some good tunes throughout its brief career. Just a shame their last album ended with a whimper instead of a bang.

Oceansize is one of those bands that very subtly fluctuates between calm and serene soundscapes to absolute bone crushing distortion in an instant.

When I first heard "Everybody Into Position", my first exposure to Oceansize, I just dismissed them for a carbon copy Riverside or half-baked Porcupine Tree, but once I heard "No Tomorrow" (still the best song they've made, in my opinion), I realized they had tried developing a heavier sidebar to their aesthetic in order to avoid being lumped in with their contemporaries.

But while "Everybody Into Position" had a much heavier outlook than "Effloresce", the intro song "Commemorative T-Shirt" off this record has an altogether different sound. A long buildup and miminal vocals are categorized by a post-grunge influenced sound, perhaps even a shoegaze inspired sound from the 80's Brit rock boom? Surely the Smiths, New Order, Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine influenced prog-based successors like Porcupine Tree, Riverside The Pineapple Thief and Oceansize.

Overall, the chords are heavy and resonant, "wall of sound" type chords, but it's not boring at all. As the music segues into "Unfamiliar", the vocals make their presence more pronounced, the guitars begin to move and shift, the drummer springs into life, only for the song to abruptly end.

"Frames" is a stunning album. It's far more cohesive than the outfits previous two albums. It's a sound of their own that manages to combine soft, retrospective and melancholic tones ("Trail Of Fire", "Savant") with some explosive instrumental prowess ("Unfamiliar") and even some doom metal-esque sludge and drone stylings ("An Old Friend Of The Christy's"). Oceansize to me always had a bit of shoegaze stylings around their music, and this album screams shoegaze in many ways, but their textures, changes in sound and direction and cohesive musical visions make each song stand alone and give life to this album. An excellent album with a sound all its own.

4.5

4.5/5 This album is what I believe is a melancholy masterful album. From the start of the album, the keys and bass set the mood for the song, enter the vocals that give a psychedelic feel then the distortion for the song. The song continues and is pieced together by the next song, which acts as its continuation. All the songs are made together are great. With the exception of "Sleeping dogs" where I believe it is the worst song in the album as it does not fit the theme of the album and the psychedelic feel nor does the screaming vocals and guitar sound right. All in all, this is a superb album. Just skip sleeping dogs.

"A Very Still Movement" is an early EP by Oceansize and is their 2nd EP released before their debut album. This EP contains 4 tracks and has a run time of 25 minutes.

The EP gives examples of the bands heavy progressive sound in their early days. It starts off with "Catalyst" which nears the 7 minute mark. This is the original version of this song. A re-recorded version is on their debut album "Efforesce". It has a heavy guitar hook that introduces the song which continues in it's heaviness until it comes to the vocal part, where it calms some until the chorus. It's rougher than the version on the future album, but it is still enjoyable. It alternates between heavy and calmness throughout the long instrumental break and is similar to a post rock sound, but leaning more to a hard rock, almost grungy feel.

"A Very Still Movement" comes next and is unique to this EP. It is an atmospheric piece with an ambient and psychedelic feel made up of sustained and processed guitar and keyboard notes and a slow warbling effect. There is also a subdued drone underneath it all. This is a short 3 and a half minute track with no vocals.

"Women Who Love Men Who Love Drugs" was also re-recorded for the debut album, but appears here in its original form. It has a run time of over 9 minutes. It starts with a guitar playing a soft arpeggio and is quickly accompanied by a steady beat and a nice, heavy bass pattern. Again, there is that leaning toward post rock. This is an excellent track as it also is on the debut album. Shortly after the 3 minute mark, the song explodes with noise and heavy emotion pouring out of the guitar chords. It calms again after a few minutes for a beautiful interlude of shimmering guitars and thumping bass. At about 6 minutes, it enters into a peaceful section which allows you to float off into space for the remainder of the track.

The last track is also unique to this EP. "Sizeofanocean" has guest backing vocals and guitar from Sal Belamir from the English band "Amplifier". It starts with a soft beat and shimmering guitars and wordless vocals which are mostly subdued. Soon, a mellow melody starts with Mike Vennart's higher vocals, but things suddenly escalate as it gets heavy and his vocals almost become dirty, but with more passion. On the next verse, things calm again. Mike's vocals are weak when he is in his falsetto voice, but he shines on the heavier passages.

The 2 best songs on here are also on the debut album and the other two tracks are okay, but probably better suited for those fans that just have to have everything. For me, I love Oceansize's music and consider this one worth searching for, but it may not be as important for typical listeners. I believe it is good enough to be worthwhile to get if you can find it, but I only wish it were longer of course. I believe it is at least a strong 3 star EP.

Home & Minor is simply a 35 minute EP of music which is showcasing a more experimental and mellower side of the amazing band Oceansize. I have become a full-time fan of this band and their style of post-rock and heavy prog. This is one of the most innovative bands out there, and with this EP, they for the most part leave behind their heavier edge to produce what is not necessarily and acoustic album, but a spacier, softer and yet adventurous EP.

There were plans to release an EP like this from as early as their initiation as a band. It was an attempt to win over those adventurous music lovers that don't like so much feedback and heaviness in their music, yet still love the innovation that the band has been known to explore. This little EP is a beautiful representation of the band's genius. I love it just as much as their full albums and the only regret I have is that it isn't longer. But I am sure a lot of fans would have been outraged because of the lack of dynamics in the music. That is not true with me, I love the variety and tone of this album and consider it as good as their albums.

Any of these songs would have been good enough for inclusion on any of their full albums, and they would not have taken away from them. It was the decision of the band though, to feature them on their own. Maybe there was a fear that these gems would have been swallowed up in the fierceness of their typical music, though the band is always known to show their sensitive side in various places throughout their albums too.

Immediately, with "Legal Teens", you hear a difference in the typical intensity of the music. This one, to me, is the most subdued as far as standing out. A good song, but mostly a good introduction to the EP and the tone is set in this track. "Getting to Where Water Cannot" is bigger standout and the emotion in this song is very evident. This track proves that you don't have to be loud and extreme in dynamics to be powerful and beautiful. It ventures into some nice jazz territory with interesting chords and movement. This is a great example of the band's genius. "Monodrones" is a short instrumental which is based on a drone and beautiful swirling guitars, which I find very ambient and relaxing. It sets the mood for the best track coming next which is the title track "Home & Minor" which features some lovely harmonics and even has a nice build up which features brass instruments which are a rarity in t Oceansize's music. This is a beautiful track. Another 3 minute instrumental follows which flows along nicely and then the EP is wrapped up with another 8 minute track with subdued vocals, background voices and swirling guitar and vibes.

It is hard to describe where this music takes me, but I love it and find it as strong as any of their albums. I love their intensity in their albums, but I feel that intensity in this EP also even if the music is softer and explorative. I continue to hold my stance that I believe this is one of the best bands in Prog rock in this era and I think they are completely underrated in the music world. People should be listening to this music. Of course, this EP is not indicative of their usual style, but it makes a great place to come when you feel like music that is dreamy and lovely, yet still amazing. Most reviewers have been giving this lower ratings because of it's change of intensity, but I listen to it and still find a masterpiece of prog rock. Harmonics, textures and beauty abound in this recording and I don't hesitate to give it 5 stars. I keep thinking I'll find a recording by this band that I won't consider essential, but I continue to be amazed by the band and their music.

This is a short EP or single I guess of "Heaven Alive" which is only a moderately interesting song from and extremely amazing band. Not the best choice of songs to represent such a great and talented band. It's a good song, just not as great as many of their others. The B-Side listed here "I/B/O/W" however is a much better instrumental song with a heavy, yet up-beat track that is a much better representation of their sound. Hard to believe this was one of the rejected tracks from their great 2nd album, and it would have fit on there just fine. There is a 2nd B-side that isn't listed here on the site called "Dirty Sweet Smell of the Summer", which is another great track with excellent vocals and a harder edge than what was on the A-side. Also a very good representation of their heavy progressive sound. Excellent.

No space rock here though. As for myself, I consider Oceansize more of an excellent post metal band because they transcend the post rock formula while keeping the great dynamics and sound. There is a slight reliance on space rock on some of their albums, but not on this single. And those people who say they sound like a new Pink Floyd really should point out to me how they sound like PF except for being progressive. No other comparison to PF exists here. Oceansize is it's own sound and own band, and they are simply amazing!

Great single, especially for the B sides. Oceansize fans need to search this out, and if you want a taste of what the band sounds like, make sure to pass judgement based on the B-sides here. Yes it's short, but still worthy of 4 stars.

Oceansize's 3rd full length album is another amazing journey into some of the best new progressive rock and they continue to be a band that proves that progressive rock is alive and well and still has a lot of territory to explore. Even though it is considered psychedelic/space rock here in the Archives, this album leans more towards the post rock/heavy prog sound. This one is a bit heavier than "Everyone Into Position" was. Oceansize wanted to make an album that didn't have any radio friendly songs on it whatsoever, and that is what they have accomplished. There is less melody than the previous album and a lot more exploration, even though that album was still a masterpiece. But this one is amazing also. Borrowing more from post rock, this takes that genre beyond it's own borders and mostly ignores any rules.

There is definitely a good enough variety here to keep things interesting, but the album is also more structured to a specific sound. Full of complexity, the meters are very difficult technically, yet there is so much emotion in their music as there always is. They definitely accomplish the goals of so many post-rock bands that try to achieve an orchestral sound with rock instruments, especially with dense guitars and long crescendos. Oceansize doesn't always follow that formula here keeping things surprising and fresh throughout. The closest thing to post-rock formulation is "Trial of Fire" which builds into an amazing climax that puts many of those bands to shame. And that orchestral sound is accomplished so well as you get in that symphonic like ending. "Savant" is probably the least interesting track, at least at the start, but it develops as it goes and finally floats into a lush 2nd half that approaches a psychedelic leaning, albeit vaguely as strings enter and give this song a beautiful way to cap itself off.

"Only Twin" is a definite stand out. Extremely complex, yet a softer sound that still holds a lot of tension building, but not in the form of dynamics as much as in atmosphere. I love this track and think it is one of the most original tracks in new progressive rock. Stunningly beautiful, yet not in the way you would expect it to be. When I say it's a softer sound, that is only in comparison with the rest of the tracks that come before it. No, it's not mellow at all, just softer.

The excellent complexity of the album continues through each track. There is only one instrumental on the album which is "An Old Friend of the Christy's" which holds a lot of mood changes and character as any other song on the album. "Sleeping Dogs and Dead Lions" is the shortest track here and it clocks in at over 6 minutes, but it packs a solid punch as it is also the heaviest and loudest song here, with vocals approaching screaming, but never in an obnoxious way, more in an emotional way. The last track "Frames" slacks off in the noise factor a bit, but still carries it's weight. Even though it ends the album in a satisfying way, you need to search out the special edition of this album that has the bonus track "Vorhees" which in itself is over 11 minutes (a bonus track over 11 minutes you say?). There are many that compare Oceansize to Tool, which I don't agree with because they have their own sound, but if there is a track that sound the most similar to Tool, it would be this bonus track, even the crazy dissonant guitar solo that also uses keyboards to push it forward to even more of an extreme. Definitely as great as any of the regular tracks on the album and worth searching for.

It is so hard for me at this point in Oceansize's discography to find an album that is not a masterpiece. Everything they have released up until now has been some of the best progressive rock that I have heard and each album has been amazing. There is never a lack of complexity, excellent dynamism, originality, challenging and genre stretching progressive rock in their music and I continue to recommend this band highly. Consistently excellent and once again, another masterpiece of progressive rock music. 5 solid stars.

If Oceansize's first album was a masterpiece, which it was, then this album is about as close to perfection as anything. What an amazing album. It is a testament that amazing music is still being produced. The genre is still somewhere between post rock and progressive metal. However, the sound is even more dynamic than before, the vocals are improved, even though they were great before, the music is more emotional and there is a more varied sound. The band is definitely doing an excellent job exploring sounds. I feel that in this album, Oceansize found their own sound. Many listeners say it is more straight forward than their previous album, and while that might be true, it is certainly a step forward for them. Their music has been fine tuned to almost perfection.

I really love this album. There is still the hardness from the previous album, but there are some amazing soft parts throughout the album and it rounds things out very well. The album starts out with "The Charm Offensive" which is reminiscent of the debut album and you get the impression that this is going to be great like the last one. You get that post-metal atmosphere but with a lot of expression, great vocals and a lot of ingenuity. In between the first track and the 2nd, there is a hidden track which starts off soft but builds quickly and sounds almost like a return to "The Charm Offensive", but this does have an official title called "emp(erical) error". It is easy to mistake this as an extension of the first track. Next comes "Heaven Alive" which is definitely a more mainstream sounding track, but still an excellent song. The vocals are still to the forefront and there is a nice solid baseline. Towards the last part of the song, the chorus becomes a multi-layered vocal that sounds almost like a choir of sorts that along with that ever present bass line, is an exciting and enticing sound. I love this track. Then you get the last of the 1-2-3 punch with the explosive "A Homage to Shame". This one is a solid track, very hard, very emotional and simply astounding. The multi-layered vocals return here but this time the choir has been turned upside down almost giving an opposite effect of the previous track. This has to be heard. That takes up the first part of the album.

Next we move on to more amazing music, albeit a little more mellow but still with a lot of substance, emotion and excellent musicianship. "Meredith", even though it is not as hard as the previous track, is a very complex song with changing and challenging percussion. The drums throughout this album are just plain awesome, beating out rhythms that normally would not match the meter of the songs at times, but still sounding excellent. It gives the songs a more sense of sophistication and originality, there is just no staleness in this album anyway. After this great track, we get the epic masterpiece and also one of my all time favorite songs "Music for a Nurse." How do you describe this piece of art? Now it seems that Oceansize is digging deeper into the post rock sound, adding some space rock, taking the style of the best Sigur Ros song structure, adding their signature multi-layered voice sound, tuning the vocals down further into the total mix (ala Devin Townsend style) and doing this they created an epic masterpiece that just sends shivers down my spine. The format of the song is pretty typical post-rock structure, starting out soft and simple and building to an amazing climax. The difference here is the beauty of the melody, which is based upon a complex chord structure and repeated with the plucked notes of the guitar strings. This is an old Classical Music style called a Ground where the melody is played by the low notes while other counter-melodies and variations are played around that base. The melody that provides the base for the song is beautiful and when the song starts, it is almost the only thing you hear, very much like a Sigur Ros song. Other guitars and percussion and more multi-layered vocals get added in and keep building the music as the emotions continues to build and the tension rises throughout the song. You end up with an orchestral sounding wall of music. Simply amazing!

Continuing on with the album, you get more amazing music, challenging rhythms in places, from this point of the album, the vocals usually stay mixed into the music so they become part of the entire song. I love this method of mixing the voices down into the music and like I said earlier, this is the same method that Devin Townsend uses and also why I love his sound so much also. The music continues to be excellent and original, but it wasn't enough for Oceansize to have just one epic masterpiece on this album. The last track "Ornaments/The Last Wrongs" is another excellent track and ends the album on a high note. This one is more dependent upon sudden dynamic changes, from soft to hard passages throughout and once again with those amazing multi-layered vocals that I love.

I like to compare this kind of music to Classical Music, but this is Progressive rock's version of Classical. It is complex, dynamic, original, emotional. It has it all. My own personal rating system uses 5 stars like ProgArchives, but I also add a 6th star for the albums that I think are perfect. There are not many albums that I consider 6 star albums, so I don't use it very often, only when I find something simply amazing that moves me beyond words. This is one of those albums. Of course, I can only rate this with 5 stars here, but to me, it is better than the debut album, and that is also a 5 star album. Really, I love this album that much. I love the fact that this band progressed even further than on the previous album, that they have made their own sound here. The previous album was compared to Tool, but this album explores into territory that is only touched by the experts, namely Kayo Dot, Sigur Ros, King Crimson, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and so on. They not only explored these sounds, but they carved their own niche in this music style. Excellent album, definitely essential in my opinion, this one should be considered one of the best modern progressive albums. But that's enough praise from me. Don't keep putting this one off so long like I did. Listen to it and hear the level of emotion present. Even if you aren't dripping with praise the way I am, you will still probably agree that this is some of the best new prog available. 5 glowing stars!