Review Summary: Tiny Fragments is an amazing record and quite like nothing I’ve ever heard before.
Chances are, you haven’t heard of these guys. Hailing from Perth, Western Australia, Tangled Thoughts of Leaving set out to perform a unique combination of Jazz, Post rock and Progressive Metal. Think Isis and Cult of Luna crossed with a bit of Nick Cave. Of course, that description doesn’t do them justice, but you can at least get an idea of what I mean.
‘Tiny Fragments’ is their first official release in the form of a four track EP. The first three songs are just the individual parts which make up the track ‘Tiny Fragments’ as a whole. Named ‘Tiny Fragments Part One, Two and Three’ respectively, these are followed by the epic final of ‘The Banshee’ which finishes of the record perfectly.
Tiny Fragments Part One starts off the record with a bang by throwing blaring guitar riffs, harsh drum beats and various spastic keyboard notes and synth. Part One is the only track on the EP to feature the vocals of Pianist, Ron Pollard and they are quite impressive albeit concise. The vocals for this song are about thirty to forty seconds long and sort of jump out of you at a completely unexpected time. Despite this, they are very heavy and powerful, instantly reminding me of the various vocals performed by Cult of Luna.
The next track, Part Two acts as a bridge between the first and third act of the Tiny Fragments song. They keep it simple here, starting of slow and quiet and soon changing into some soft drum beats and keyboard notes played in tandem. There’s not a lot to say about this track, but it’s still quite good.
Part Three is very powerful right from the get go. All members combine their talents instantly to create a soft but remarkable intro which to me sounds very nostalgic. It soon climbs into a slighter harsher sounding section, sounding reminiscent of the heaviness of Part One. The use of synth really shines in this track, creating very atmospheric sound hums and buzzes that flow really well in parallel to all the other instruments. It’s overall quite a soft track, but still maintains the heavier metal feel during the closing minute or two.
The Banshee is the last track on the album which is a great way to finish off an already brilliant EP. It starts off with some soft guitar and keyboard, and then slowly introduces the drums alongside a bit of synth. It soon progresses into a more upbeat, jazzier bridge, before making its way to the harsh (for lack of a better word) breakdown. This is definitely the highlight of the song for me as it perfectly sums up the entire record as they go from chugging guitars and brutal drum beats back to the slow, melodic passage we hear throughout the EP.
Overall, Tiny Fragments is an amazing record and quite like nothing I’ve ever heard before. Give these guys some time and I’m sure they’ll continue to amaze us with some more solid and experimental releases. Clocking in at about 25 minutes, Tangled Thought of Leaving shows us exactly what they’re made of, and I like what I hear. Tiny Fragments is a recommendable purchase or download, whether you’re a fan of any of the genres they make themselves out to be.
