When I come across ambient and post-rock bands, I usually have a listen, and often wonder where the music is supposed to be going. Once I even considered using'songs with no climax' as review title for a post-rock album. With Heron, I took the same approach, but I have to admit that a bit more is going on than in the aforementioned cases. The band, consisting of brothers Nathaniel Black and Benjamin Black, Eric Morelli and Boyd Lewis, plays instrumental pieces, which mix rock, ambient, and post-rock elements. As they say themselves, the songs are not supposed to be real songs, but rather musical narratives. This leads to atmospheric pieces like Drop and Shores, which have a lot of post-rock and ambient elements, but also to the rockier Ender. I played the album in my car for a while before writing this review. The music sometimes drops to the background, certainly in the more repetitive parts, but there's always a catch that drags back your attention. Not something to play every day, but for those into post-rock and ambient, a more than worthwhile band to check out. Don't expect complex rifts or wild guitar solos, but be ready to join the band on tours through wild nature, which is the big love of the band members. **** Angelo Hulshout (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
