Review Summary: "Help yourself to a miracle." This is close enough.
Metavari have something special. Their unique fusion of post-rock and electronic music brings together the organic and synthetic to deliver an intensely poignant experience. Honest rhythms support intimate melodies, ultimately blending into what raw emotion should sound like if it were put into music. Best of all, this emotion is explored through fresh, layered textures, like the shimmering, washed out guitars in the aptly titled "Shimmer Marina," or the gently dancing synths in "IO, Apollo and the Veil." Sound bites appear in parts of the album, and "Story for a Song Without End" features almost exclusively the voice of a French-speaking child over contemplative guitar chords. This works as a surprisingly emotive combination regardless of the possible language barrier. Throughout, constants such as the unrefined, loose acoustic drums and the cozy electric piano provide a running thread and manage to keep things cohesive.
Lack of dynamic range may very well be this album's only weakness. By the time closer "Pacific Lights" (which happens to be the most explosive song here) comes on, the listener is likely already fatigued by the mellow melodies that have been playing for the past forty minutes. This kind of consistency isn't necessarily bad; the vibe is relaxed, and this attribute works well when some stirring yet subtle background music is in order. But this record doesn't want to be background music. It's too personal, too sentimental to be so disconnected from its audience. This "flaw" isn't something to get upset over, but giving it a listen straight through may become somewhat tedious if the listener isn't especially patient or in the right frame of mind. Fortunately, the songs are concise, so picking a few to fit the mood is a valid option.
Even without much dynamic variation, Be One of Us and Hear No Noise succeeds at being a moving, often inspirational album. Every song oozes with emotion put forth by diverse instrumentation. From the hopeful strings in the title track, to the playful keys in "Cerulean," Metavari present powerful musical ideas. The buzzing, humming, and sparkling sounds of electronic music with the emotional structures of post-rock proves to be a potent mixture that is original and quite promising.
