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San Agustin with Suzanne Langille, "Passing Song"
Family Vineyard
Anytime I read about a band that creates "post-rock soundscapes" thesedays, I tend to cringe. It's a pretty generic term that usually implies"Try this next time you have trouble sleeping." Long, drawn-out,sprawling epics that top the ten minute mark are also not unheard ofwith this description. Nevertheless, sometimes a band slips throughthat fine veil of half mediocrity/half meandering to create somebeautiful music. On previous records, both artists involved on "PassingSong" have created music that suggests they are capable of breakingthrough, but need more time to develop. Working together on thisrelease hasn't helped them one bit: they're still both stuck in thatrealm. This release isworth listening to, but I doubt you'll take anything away from it thatwill change your life. It is what it is: simple song structures with acapable voice attached that ultimately go nowhere new or special. Theydon't touch a nerve. They don't even scratch the surface of the skin.They hang there, in the air, waiting for that defining moment that willseparate the wheat from the chaff. And it never comes. Having saidthat, a few of the tracks do have incredible potential, and I see somegreat things coming from this pairing down the road. The opening track,'Only When You Sleep', smolders in its languid drawl, and the justplain scary 'Snow Sunrise' purports to decimate us all even though itnever manages to. A good set by two powerful creative forces thatdeserve more notice. Maybe with another set like this one, they willget it.
Anytime I read about a band that creates "post-rock soundscapes" thesedays, I tend to cringe. It's a pretty generic term that usually implies"Try this next time you have trouble sleeping." Long, drawn-out,sprawling epics that top the ten minute mark are also not unheard ofwith this description. Nevertheless, sometimes a band slips throughthat fine veil of half mediocrity/half meandering to create somebeautiful music. On previous records, both artists involved on "PassingSong" have created music that suggests they are capable of breakingthrough, but need more time to develop. Working together on thisrelease hasn't helped them one bit: they're still both stuck in thatrealm. This release isworth listening to, but I doubt you'll take anything away from it thatwill change your life. It is what it is: simple song structures with acapable voice attached that ultimately go nowhere new or special. Theydon't touch a nerve. They don't even scratch the surface of the skin.They hang there, in the air, waiting for that defining moment that willseparate the wheat from the chaff. And it never comes. Having saidthat, a few of the tracks do have incredible potential, and I see somegreat things coming from this pairing down the road. The opening track,'Only When You Sleep', smolders in its languid drawl, and the justplain scary 'Snow Sunrise' purports to decimate us all even though itnever manages to. A good set by two powerful creative forces thatdeserve more notice. Maybe with another set like this one, they willget it.
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