TANGLED THOUGHTS OF LEAVING

Listening diary 14th August 2021: Tangled Thoughts of Leaving - Tiny Fragments (progressive post-rock/metal, 2008)

Tangled Thoughts of Leaving's maiden voyage is an interesting origin story - there are sounds on this release that would never really reappear on the band's later work, but also within is an unmistakable blueprint for the sound they would later develop. In my opinion, these guys are the absolutely pinnacle of modern instrumental post-rock, and are one of the most creative acts in the world in any genre. This EP is notable, because it's not instrumental, and for a lot of it, it's not rock - savage bursts of prog metal riffing punctuate the band's post-driven aura with frequency never heard later on. But despite this, the incredibly creative use of piano, avant-prog structures and modern classical composition with in a post- rock framework is definitely here early on. Not quite as refined as their later masterpieces, but an interesting addition to a great catalogue.

7.3 (5th listen)

Part of my listening diary from my facebook music blog - www.facebook.com/TheExoskeletalJunction

I found this Song first time four..five years ago. And I was astonished. Very melodic, harmonic and floating but same time atavistic, noisy and nervous. Brilliant. I have listened this countless times and I still enjoy it as I did in first time I heard it. Now how many song actually do that. For me not many. Start. Kind of Beethoven 5. but in 3 seconds. You know wake up call. Then laid back melodies with rhythmic variations which really gives song some depth. After two minutes it kind of starts and again the drums... but this only lasts about minute or so. Then again it chainges to kind of lift. Opening in 4:57-58 and after that is like from symphony and yet not. And very strong and powerfull ending. I'm bit out of words, still after all these years.

One of best songs I have ever heard.

This is a very nice math/post rock band from Australia who have been making good music for over 6 years, and whose music is nice to find and get nowadays in the web, of course, in the legal way, because you can go to their bandcamp site and stream or download the music. Well, in 2013 they released an EP called "Failed by Man and Machine", which contains 5 songs that make a total time of 18 minutes.

The first track is "Dance Before You Die", a short composition that has the math rock feeling inherent in the guitars, but that uses electronic elements that produce very good nuances, there is also a sweet atmosphere as background, while the guitars bass and drums keep playing the same structure over and over, but what counts here, is precisely that background. All of a sudden, when there is a change in the mood and drums become main actor, we are already listening to "(Quakes)", and what a great song, I like it because it flows naturally, the music is like hypnotic, and I really like how the rhythm does not actually change during the song, but all they do as background, all the figures, all the textures they implement make a great song, very intuitive for the senses.

"Failed by Man" has a slower tempo rhythm, it is more emotional, the math side is hast left and the post rock is now present. The distorted bass sounds pretty good, but the guitars are beautiful, their sound is not the main one, but that's its charm, to perceive it a little far but enjoy it. The music doesn't stop, but when it fades down, the song "(Tremors)" has started. It has a darker and tense atmosphere, it sounds like an improvisation or a passage of a film, it is nice, but nothing to remember forever.

Finally, "Failed by Machine" which has a piano as an additional instrument that produces a faster rhythm in the first part, later it makes some changes, becomes calmer and relaxing. The music is really easy to dig, but it is complex, so the experience is pretty good in the whole EP. My final grade will be 2 stars, because you know, I don't rate with more than 2 stars releases under 20 minutes length unless it is a true gem, but well, the music here is truly recommendable.

Enjoy it!

'Deaden The Fields' is their first full album, recorded during the early three months of 2011. A wonderful piece of work, let me tell you. Overall an one hour lasting post rock symphony I would say so, yeah .. don't know if this expression ever has been used to describe music ... nor exactly matches. Never mind, I'm still in favour. The arrangements are complex, challenging - Ron Pollard's (sparkling) piano submits a classical touch all over. Guitarist Andrew McDonald varies a lot, reminiscent to the band Grails - from accentuated accompaniment to strong riffs and soaring sound walls, as well as diverse fusion-esque moments reminding me of Terje Rypdal for example. Ambitious, while also including samples and diverse electronica gimmicks - this altogether sounds so mature, rounded - cool!

I would say the epic Landmark hereby arranges the centerpiece - endurance is required - while starting with something like a cacophony this is courageous, well it's the risk of confrontating the listener with a 'problem' right from the start ... followed by lovely charming piano passages though, kicking you into a another (jazzy) direction soon. All in all this song is an awesome rollercoaster trip which you won't forget so fast, impossible to describe in its entirety. If someone misses a stronger guitar presence at some point Deep Rivers Run Quiet then makes it, provided with a notable spacey touch.

More cinematic/ambient impressions are coming up during the closing epic They Found My Skull In The Nest Of A Bird - dramatic - with Ben Stacy they have a playful drummer aboard for sure. All in all the songs combine a special alliance of melody and eclecticism - once jumping on the bandwagon this album is definitely captivating. I find 'Deaden The Fields' a very entertaining opus which certainly deserves a place on my best-of list for 2011. I recommend to reserve enough time to assimilate this in one go as a unity. A great, partially puzzling experience - 4.5 stars for now, as it surely needs some time to prove a potential masterpiece assignment.

I wrote a really long, track by track review of this album, but I left the laptop laying around while I attended to something else before I pressed submit and my fiance navigated away from this page, erasing the longest review of my extremely short career here at PA so this version will be short and sweet. If you liked Tiny Fragments you'll love this album. If you thought the Contextually Inept single was a step down from previous material as I did and feared it was a sign of things to come, don't worry, it's not. This is TTOL's best stuff so far. The only difference in the sound is that they filed down their influences as to not be all over the place anymore. Gone are the metal sections and the random dissonant riffs. I'd describe this band as having a post-rock orientated guitarist playing over a fusion trio of bass, drums and keys. The whole band uses the post-rock of long crescendo, breakdown, crescendo frame perfectly, although the only negative thing I'd have to say is that they stick to it a bit too much making it a bit predictable by the end of the album. The drums and keys are the lead instruments here, the bass is basic and the guitars often backround. Every track flows into the next one seemlessly so you'll have the impression it's one long track. I really enjoyed it, but because of the fact they use the same structure for every song I can't give this a 5 star review. 4.25 rounded down to 4.

A nice song, that's it!

This is the most recent Tangled Thoughts of Leaving composition (or at least the latest they shared), and I do hope it is the prelude to their first studio album, in which they are working on, I believe. The name of this track is "Contextually Inept" and lasts over seven minutes. Once again, the Australians offered it as a free-download single, so it is worth spending some minutes and go to their website.

The track is very cool, starts like an explosion for a few seconds and then calms down. Nice atmospheres are created by piano and guitars, and the song little by little is progressing. Drums appear and mark the rhythm. With good headphones the synth atmospheres can be much better appreciated. After two minutes the song takes another direction, there are repetitive guitar figures, jazzy-like drums and a wonderful piano sound. Then after three minutes we can listen to some repetitive sounds but don't prejudge, because while the seconds pass new elements are being carefully added, but they are not that easy to appreciate. At minute five the song explodes and turns very exciting. It continues like this until the very end.

This is a very nice song that I hope will be included in their upcoming studio album. Worth listening, worth downloading, but if you know my rating style I don't use to give more than two stars to single songs.

Enjoy it!

Not that tangled actually!

The name of this band is pretty cool, weird but I like it, I believe it is very original and would like to know what its origin is. Well, they are from Australia, yet another post-rock band which is actually walking their first footsteps, trying to find an own sound and of course, trying to gain some followers. Tangled Thoughts of Leaving have been together since 2004, they are mostly an instrumental band that as I previously said belongs to the post-rock realm, but at their heaviest, being closer to post-metal.

In 2008 they released their EP entitled 'Tiny Fragments' which is their first offering, a four- track EP that shares almost half-an-hour of great, heavy, weird, post-metal-jazz-rock music (haha with the labels). The first three tracks are simply entitled 'Tiny Fragments: Part 1, 2 and 3'. Well, the first part starts quirky, fast and with a notable technique. The piano sound is excellent all over the track, it gives the different texture and moods, of course the other instruments also help, but in my opinion here piano leads. At half the song it becomes heavier, guitars, bass and drums doing their work. After five minutes vocals appear, which was a surprise because I did not expect them; the voice is heavy, totally to the metal side of rock.

'Part 2' is the shortest of the tiny fragments (pun intended), and my least favorite without a doubt. The first minute is full of electronic distant noises, then piano and drums appear and it is like a soft jam, nothing more. 'Part 3' on the other hand, reaches almost nine minutes. It starts slowly but gradually progresses, the guitars sound here is wonderful, and the piano leads once again for some passages. This track has several inner changes, subdivisions that create a puzzle but that can be appreciated as individual fragments. The heavy or metal part is not that evident at least in the first six minutes, it reminds me a bit to 65daysofstatic, which belongs to the heavy-side of post-rock, without being precisely a post- metal band. But later, in the final two minutes the song does turn heavier and metal oriented. Great one!

The EP finishes with 'The Banshee' which is actually the longest song reaching more than ten minutes. It is a well crafted composition that may interest you and may catch your attention since the first moments. It is soft and heavy, jazzy in moments (mainly due to drums and piano), metal in others, but after all an original post-rock composition. Here we can appreciate the band's compositional skills, their creativity to extract all the juice of a single track.

I am happy with this discovery, Tangled Thoughts of Leaving are a worth listening band, and guess what, they offer their music for free, so please, go to their site and do not miss this chance. Now I am looking forward to hear a full-length album. My final grade will be three stars!

Enjoy it!

Expanding the Horizons of Post Rock

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.