Gray Young- Firmament (Self Released)
Debut LP from this Raleigh trio who play a very polished brand of textured and atmospheric post- rock very much in the same vein of instrumental luminaries Mogwai or Explosions In The Sky. However, Gray Young do some light singing on about half their songs.
Firmament is 13 tracks of cascading instrumentation, distorted guitars and surreal, moody songwriting. The songs flourish from depressive ebbs into cascading highs that take on an ambient, surreal soundscape. Quite a few instrumentals are present, but enough gentle singing exists to keep the listener plenty engaged as well.
Carefully glilding through powerful, cathartic songs that sit very closely on the cusp of mass despair but then are likely to rebound quickly into euphoric highs, frontman Chas McKeown's vague, listless singing keeps the dreamy like tone of the songs as the guitars crash over the drums and the music drifts off.
Far from simple songs with a few chords and topics about girls and partying, this is music for the intimate listener, someone who will appreciate the complexity of the song writing and truly realize the brilliance of the musicianship.
