Review Summary: "Now I'm a Ghost of what I once was"
This is an excellent album, but anyone who calls it a "classic" is just trying to fan boost. Absent Sounds is not a classic, but it is a very well put together, well performed album. Not many tracks stand out which can be seen as a good thing because no song hurts the flow or fit of the album. My only complaint would be that a lot of From Indian Lake's third release seems to stay at or around the same pace, and a lot of the album seems to come off as predictable.
The best track to me was the opener, "Come In This Light". This is because the song has one of the most unique moments in the album, which is the track's intro. The intro creates a sense of anticipation because of it's gentle padding on piano seeming to drift on long beyond its intention, captivating the anticipation and eventual launch of the second half of the song, which includes one of the best vocal melodies on Absent Sounds. "Breathe Desperately" had a nice change in vocals in terms of pace, but again, a lot of this album seems rather... repetitive. "Ghost" is a great change of pace for the album as it fades in with a heavily math-rock inspired riff that really opens up their sound, and the chorus is one of the best in the album.
Absent Sounds is well worth its weight because the lyrics are heartfelt (though sometimes lacking in color), the instruments are far from simplistic and they are kept under a watchful eye throughout every song. The album is consistently good to great, with a few high points. The overall sound seems a bit overdone as the album plays on and the vocals seem to lose its appeal in some ways as the tracks progress (not enough to consider them poorly done). With no real standout tracks, the album can be a chore to complete. At the same time since no tracks are weak the time is well paid off. If you love their sound, this will be a great album. But if you like albums that can touch on many different sounds, this album will drag.
