|
| |
|
|
|
Review Summary: An incredible album that begs to be listened to in its entirety. Gifts from Enola is a four-piece post-rock band hailing from Harrisonburg, Virginia. Their first album titled Loyal Eyes Betrayed the Mind is certainly an engaging experience, schizophrenically leading the listener through multiple genres within the same song. While post-rock greats have somewhat created a formula for the structure of songs, Gifts from Enola have eschewed that in favor of creating an album that sounds paranoid, dense, eerie, and beautiful all at once. There are gorgeous, ambient interludes within songs that give way to abrupt walls of guitar feedback and acrobatic, dissonant riffing. This certainly is an album that must be looked from a “whole” perspective, as Loyal Eyes Betrayed the Mind tells a story through the music. The incredibly affecting songwriting screams of some epic tale that is simply not for our ears, giving this album the emotional equivalent of watching an argument unfold through soundproof glass. You see the contorted facial expressions, but may not understand the underlying details surrounding it. This certainly is a stretch in terms of describing music, but that is exactly the point here. Loyal Eyes Betrayed the Mind is an abstract and poetic record, choosing to incorporate ethereal passages without sounding boring and apply pounding aggression without sounding trite. It can be dense and overwrought one moment, then the floor falls out and you are left with an airy, beautiful soundscape. It ends up being everything but formulaic, which sets it apart from so many similar acts in the genre.
The small details of Loyal Eyes Betrayed the Mind is what gives the interesting music such a powerful punch. The hypnotizing guitar line over the muted drumbeat in ‘We Watched Them Lose Our Minds’ and the perfectly-placed minimalist electronics at the beginning of ‘With the Tides In Hindsight’ create an atmosphere that can read (or listen) differently to each person that hears the record. One can distinctly hear the desperation in songs like ‘Screaming At Anything That Moved’, as the brooding guitars build up to a frenzied, galloping guitar riff and then taper off into an interesting guitar line with huge amounts of delay. Throughout the album, muttered and distorted voices make appearances. You can never quite make out what is being said, but that appears to be Gifts of Enola’s intention. There is a certain feeling of madness that pervades the whole affair, which is supplemented by a mostly tense atmosphere that is created through slowly strummed chords and distorted feedback. Amidst the praises that this album has received thus far in the review, the positives also play a role in its downfall. Those who are looking for a light listen will not find it here; if you are not willing to invest the time into listening to the album in its entirety, it will be a letdown to most. The excellent subtleties lose its luster when single songs are listened to, and the emotional payoff of the superb closer ‘Memoranda’ is much less if not listened to in the context of the entire album. The guitar that begins to wail two and half minutes into the song is the absolute definition of joyous fervor, and after experiencing the entire album, there could not be a more fitting song to end the album.
Gifts of Enola have created an excellent album, but many may not see the benefit in sticking around through the songs that are a bit slow to start (‘Behind Curtains Closing’, ‘We Watched Them Lose Our Minds’). The real ingenuity of the record is that there are great moments in each song, instead of a single song being the highlight. It creates a continuity that is sorely needed in an album such as this and superbly tells a story without words. The abstractness of the music is complemented by the atmosphere, and there are many post-rock releases that miss the mark where Loyal Eyes Betrayed the Mind hits it perfectly.
| trending alt & indie albums |
|
Album Rating: 4.0
This may not be good, I love this album but have an incredibly hard time describing the sound lol.
| | |
"Throughout the album, muttered and distorted voices make appearances. You can never quite make out what is being said, but that appears to be Gifts of Enola’s intention."
I think the first sentence here is a fragment. You could totally combine these two and maybe do a little rewording to make it flow better:
- Muttered and distorted voices make appearances throughout the album, and while you can never quite make out what is being said, that appears to be Gifts of Enola’s intention. -
"The real ingenuity of the record is that there are great moments in each song, instead of a single song being the highlight.
You see the contorted facial expressions, but may not understand the underlying details surrounding it.
It creates a continuity that is sorely needed in an album such as this, and superbly tells a story without words."
No commas needed here. You can kick their ass to the curb. The first one feels like a pause, but it is uneccessary. The other two don't need them since the second half couldn't stand on their own if you made them into their own sentence.
| | |
Just in case that last part doesn't make sense...
"It creates a continuity that is sorely needed in an album such as this, and superbly tells a story without words."
This doesn't need a comma because 'superbly tells a story without words' doesn't work as its own sentence. Now, if you added an 'it' to the second half of the sentence:
"It creates a continuity that is sorely needed in an album such as this, and it superbly tells a story without words."
Then the comma would be necessary. Great review, signal. This sounds interesting. I will have to try it out.
| | |
Their new album rules.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Thanks, Ec! I will make the appropriate changes to the review tomorrow when I can get to a computer. Definitely give it a
shot, and let me know what you think of it if you do.
@Cyg, does it sound anything like this or From Fathoms?
| | |
That spoken word section in Thawed Horizon on From Fathoms is absolutely insanely hair-raising.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Agreed, North. I need to re-listen to From Fathoms.
| | |
nice review buddy. you've been really consistent lately
| | |
haven't heard this one so I can't say.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Thanks, atari. I'm definitely trying to be more consistent.
@Cyg, if you get a chance, check this one out. It's really great.
| | |
This is great so far. It seems more accessible for a post rock band compared to the others that I have heard (Swans, Godspeed, Sigur Ros). Maybe this could be my gateway band into the post rock stratosphere.
| | |
post rock is just something you kind of have to be in the mood for in my opinion. sometimes i love it and other times i find it boring just depends what the day is.
| | |
I am liking this more because I always thought there is a lot of unnecessary, empty space in other post rock stuff I have heard. These songs aren't crazy long and are pretty active the entire time.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Ec, I'm psyched that you're digging this; I definitely agree that it's more accessible than most post-rock. It just has a more immediate sound than most bands of the genre.
| | |
Totally agree with you on the immediacy of it. Most post-rock you have to let sink in over a while to get the full effect, which can make it hard to get into.
I could only find 4 songs from this on Youtube, and I really liked what I heard. Went on Spotify and they only have their more recent stuff on it. I listened through From Fathoms and liked everything on it, and now I am listening to A Healthy Fear.
Thanks for introducing me to something new. This band is the good stuff.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
No problem, man. Glad you're enjoying it; I haven't heard A Healthy Fear yet. How does it compare?
| | |
They added vocals in some spots (for better or for worse) instead of the background spoken stuff, but I think I prefer them as an instrumental band. The vocals aren't really front and center either. They are kind of in the middle ground, which was an odd choice. The instrumental stuff is still great though.
I loved what I heard of From Fathoms and I am probably going to pick it up. Not sure about Healthy Fear yet.
Here is the first track from HF if you want to see what I mean:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj1xDH_xKBE
The vocals come in around the 2 minute mark, and then just kind of pop in and out every so often throughout.
| | |
but many may not see the benefit in sticking around through the songs that are a bit slow to start
The only thing I can think of is extend with the how, what, why, whens. This sentence feels unfinished and could use a bit of fleshing out. Don't be afraid to provide examples they're only going to help get your points across.
Still, this is some really strong writing.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Thanks for the input, man. It's appreciated! When I can get to a computer, I will fill it out a bit more with the details.
| | |
Still need to purchase me some Gifts From Enola. From Fathoms is awesome.
| | | |
|
| |
