Labels: Tiger Style Records
Review by: Andy Malcolm
Second instrumental marvel of an album from Tristeza here, and I find it difficult to know quite what to say about it! Presuming you acquired one of the best releases of last year (“Spine and Sensory”) then you’ll have a good idea as to what to expect on this record. 45 minutes of warm, full music, sounding equally at home on a subtly loud volume, or a softly quiet one designed to assist in bringing you some sleep.
Opener “Building Peaks” is a lovely way to get started, the bass guides the song along it’s almost ethereal path, twinkly guitars soothe, and the electronic hum nestling behind everything makes you feel at ease, calmed. And that’s setting the tone for the whole record, give or take a few forays into jazzier realms. Don’t expect the unexpected and you won’t be disappointed. This is extremely well crafted by a band that is obviously at ease with what they are doing, not totally challenging themselves. But I prefer that to a band making a record that only the very dedicated or pretentious would claim to understand. This is instrumental music for the indie rock kid who’d rather not get too arty about things, and considers Joan of Arc the height of awkwardness. The odds are that even your mother will like this band a great deal, which would seem strange considering they feature ex-members of the likes of Constatine Sankathi. Not that I am complaining, an easy to listen to album is often exactly what I need. And as the winter nights will start to draw in soon, I think this will return to my CD player a few more times before the year is out.
Being not so far removed from their debut makes it a little less thrilling on the whole, but there is no doubt that this is still a very good record. And despite the hoardes of bands jumping on the “no vocal’ bandwagon, unless Mogwai put out an album between now and December, it is unlikely that you’ll hear a more ear-friendly, listenable, instrumental album in the year 2000.
Keyword: Warm.