Review Summary: Listening to this album is like having a dark filter applied to your life and instead of struggling against the darkness, you resign yourself to it and learn how to see.
False Cathedrals is a dark sprawling album that guides its listeners on a journey; A journey that remains consistent with its claustrophobic and melancholic tone, but varied enough in its delivery so that the sound never stales. The hauntingly beautiful aesthetic of the album artwork is perfectly captured in the band’s familiar yet off kilter style. While the overall sound offers an obviously indie/emo rock base, the band are able to craft an experience that feels fresh through its specific brand of isolation and dissonance.
While the singer, Chris Higdan, may not impress through his vocal range, what the vocals do achieve is the power to perfectly call forth emotions of isolation and loneliness. As he croons over the darkly laid piano riffs of “Calm Americans” , every line is tinged with a melancholic resignation. “You come for suicides and breaknecks, It's alright i've already made my dream. It's alright I convince myself, it's over let's get it right.” While False Cathedrals is never overtly depressing, it is filled with this abstract tinge of horror and loneliness. The vocals often descend back into the mix as certain riffs and motifs drop out, adding to the distant and lonely aesthetic of the album. This also works wonders in keeping the song structures fresh and adding an element of unpredictability to them that prevents any of the songs from falling into tired rock cliches.
And its those feelings of abstract horror and isolation that really make the music here shine. From the unsettling angelic build up of album intro “Voices”, to the creepy guitar plucking that opens “Dying Midwestern”, the entire album echoes these emotions in ways that never stray into the realms of the overly dramatic. This subdued approach to emotive songwriting is what gives False Cathedrals so much staying power. The climax to “Shallow Like your Breath” swells so organically that when the aggressive emotional apex finally hits, it washes over you with every last ounce of tempered anger and defeated resignation that had just been teased up until this point. “We are the couple called suicide. We are the red cross white flag. You're tired so let's turn the lights out, You're tired so let's shut it off.”
Nothing about Elliott’s work on this album is immediate. Even in its most accessible moments it asks the listener for a deeper level of connection to the music. What False Cathedrals lacks in instant gratification it more than makes up for in perfectly conveying its dark and haunting atmosphere. This album is an immensely satisfying mood piece with plenty of dissonant and multi layered moments that constantly pull you in to its aggressively melancholic and cold embrace. What a fascinating structure of images and emotions False Cathedrals is able to create, and what a cathartic experience Elliott was able to deliver.
This album may project the aesthetic of a dark and brooding ghost town but don't let that fool you. False Cathedrals is filled to the brim with exciting and emotionally poignant moments that make it feel painfully alive.
) I would love to hear your thoughts on it! So many amazing songs to talk about on hear...and the voices into calm americans intro is way too amazing.
