Review Summary: It's been way too long since lightning struck right through you.
Imagine the arid landscape of a rocky desert. The wind whips particles of sand and dirt through the air, propelled by the heat bearing down from above. Only the rustling of sagebrush poking through cracked soil responds in turn to the blowing sands; the rest of the area lay dormant, waiting for a breath of life again. And then, on the horizon, a spring thunderstorm begins to erupt and cascade over the thirsty ground below. Darkness comes swiftly, followed by sheets of rain and the resonance of thunder chasing after its swifter partner. The land opens her arms wide to drink her fill: flora dare to blossom and fauna scamper out from cooler hiding places to rejuvenate themselves in the precious offering. In that moment, she is alive once more. But just as soon as it began, the water ceases to fall and lingering clouds give way to a relentless sun. Pockets of lifeforce slowly shrink and dry. The muddy ground will soon harden and thirst again.
This is what it's like to listen to “All Things Shining” by the well-traveled Oh Hiroshima. The latest offering from the Swedish group brings a well-crafted atmosphere that briefly quenches but doesn't fully satisfy. Here all at once and then gone just as fast, it's at its best when it takes its time to create a world for listening—to envelop the audience in waves of repetition and layering. However, at times it trips itself up by not giving enough space to breathe and sucks away the soundscape it so easily put together for the listener.
Of course, this is not to say that what is crafted here isn't good. Everything is drenched in a deep reverb that makes the album feel huge and spacey, which is a welcomed attribute for a genre that attempts to engulf with atmosphere. This is further enhanced by a clean production style, allowing all of the instruments a chance at the spotlight. Driving bass is often left to stand on its own until the shimmering guitars wash in and flow into heavier sections or until tasteful strings come along to provide a legato voice. The vocals are simply fine as they are: at best, they add another ingredient to the mix, and at worst they sound sleepy and unconvincing. There's a lot to ingest, and it's clear that Oh Hiroshima are still maintaining their status as long-standing veterans in the post rock world.
Highlights are found peppered throughout, carefully placed to keep the album moving forward. The opening assertions of “Wild Iris” with its monumental unison chords and clever castanets thrust the listener into that barren wasteland waiting for the oncoming storm. “Swans In A Field” offers layer after layer of building up to a false summit and satisfactory catharsis after simmering back down into a vocal break. The lilting rhythms and motifs of “Secret Youth” bring an unusual but not unwelcome swagger to the experience. “Memorabilia” does an enjoyable job of closing out the record with a climactic wall of sound. Some choice variations provide enough change to keep things interesting—when they don't step over the line. But this balancing act is hard, and some tracks fall into the post rock trap of being a little too similar to stand up on their own. Listening to “All Things Shining” straight through (which is probably intended) can be a bit like getting turned around while in the desert: cresting over one dune of a section, looking around, and asking, “Have I been here before?”
Perhaps the most desiccating problem with this album is some of the song choices as a whole. “Holiness Movement” is not a bad track per se, but its choppier character is a jarring change from the huge, plodding opening song; and with “Swans” following right after, it feels a bit out of place in between. “Rite Of Passage” is nice but simply wears out its welcome after a while, and “Leave Us Behind” has about as much of a chance of standing out as the average middle child. But by far the most questionable addition to the album is “Deluge” with its pressured gait, rushing bass lines, and dissonant melodies. It could be argued that its sole purpose is to serve as a palate cleanser for all of the saccharine resonance that comes before and after, but it also feels the most distant from the central theme of the album and sticks out like a saguaro amongst sage.
It would not be fair to say that lightning struck only once somewhere along the journey for Oh Hiroshima. “All Things Shining” is a solid addition to their growing repertoire—that is easy to hear. It's an enjoyable spin, drenching the listener in tempered atmosphere and sparks of genius. But do the peals of thunder here mark something alive and lush, or just a brief invigoration that will quickly fade back into a stagnant dormancy? Only the future knows, and until then the ground waits to spring to life once again.
