Post-Rock: A Burial At Sea - Close to Home (2024)

89 / 100

Close to Home is a richly textured post-rock journey, weaving math/prog intensity with brass-accented emotional swells. The trumpet/flute-laced to blend chaos and nostalgia, while ballads shine with delicate vocals. A near flawless 2024 post-rock highlight.

A Burial At Sea made it into my post-rock pandemic-era discovery list with their self-titled album, which I recall had a math rock blend. After several years, their new album appeared on Pelagic Records’ storefront — and I immediately grabbed it for $0. Hehehe, that obsession with freebies runs deep in my blood.

On the first listen, the album’s charm didn’t hit me. But once I started picking tracks for my playlist, I was overwhelmed. Every song had its own atmosphere and strong character — both to the ears and the heart. I couldn’t dismiss the aggressive prog/math rock tone in "Tor Head" and "Gorse Bush on Fire", so onto the playlist they went. The flutes/trumpets sprinkled across "DALL," "Everything You Are Not," and "Hy-Brasil" created a chaotic but stunning mix of emotions: joy, sorrow, and nostalgia.

"Masterfired" and "Objects of the House" are two ballads with gentle vocals — undeniably beautiful. While "T.G.G.O.A." seems to act as a closing statement, its spoken word form (with minimal music) is still impressive. I’ve been drawn to spoken word tracks before, and this one is no exception.

So yes, Close to Home becomes one of the best post-rock albums of 2024. The only track I’m not quite comfortable with is "Down to the Floor" because it sounds too upbeat at the beginning and doesn’t sit well with me, even compared to the more intense "Tor Head" or "Gorse Bush on Fire." It just doesn’t click.

Comments

Breakcore: Subheroine - End. (2025)

77 / 100 End. is Subheroine ’s most immersive and emotionally textured work yet ... Is being a week late enough to make a new release feel cold and stale? Maybe it’s the effect of our fast-paced modern world and the FOMO trend. Who knows. Whatever. Alright then, let’s welcome a new breakcore/drum & bass album (though it runs under 30 minutes) from Subheroine : End. ! End. by SUBHEROINE Released just on November 7 via Japan’s veteran breakcore label, Lost Frog Productions , End . delivers a noticeably more atmospheric vibe this time. So, tagging it as atmospheric drum & bass makes perfect sense, while the “depressive” tag seems to apply only to the cover art. But is that really the case? As always, there are surprises when reviewing music—those unexpected moments that make certain tracks sound more intriguing than expected. The most prominent depressive elements appear in the sampled voice of an anime girl sounding shocked or weakened in...

Soundtrack: Dragica Kahlina - Ava Chapter 1 OST (2022)

78 / 100 A compelling dark ambient soundtrack , best enjoyed by fans of atmospheric and cosmic soundscapes rather than traditional game OST seekers. Ava is a mobile puzzle game inspired by tarot cards , developed by Stardust LLC . It was released in four chapters, rolled out periodically between February 2020 and the first quarter of 2021. While there’s a claim that the game won an award, it was never explained exactly where or what it won. For the soundtrack of Chapter 1, Stardust LLC collaborated with local, Zurich-based artist Dragica Kahlina . Ava Chapter 1 OST by Dragica Kahlina Although the game came out in 2020, Kahlina only uploaded the OST two years later on Bandcamp , using cover art from Level 11: The Crown that features Ava herself. The atmosphere of darkness and cosmic vastness is strongly felt throughout the eleven tracks, built primarily on dark ambient foundations and layered with various sounds: echoing stick-like noises...

Electronica/IDM: 4T Thieves - Humanoid (2018)

70 / 100 Humanoid is a compact and tastefully crafted slice of IDM-leaning electronica that blends futuristic elements without overwhelming the listener. I opened my December with an electronica release by 4T Thieves , an EP titled Humanoid , which came out back in February 2018. A brief profile and the project’s track record can be found on RYM or Last.fm , and it’s clear that this act has been active since the 90s, although only arriving on Bandcamp around 2018. Humanoid by 4T Thieves As the name suggests, Humanoid presents a modern environment tinged with a futuristic sci-fi atmosphere, supported by drum work leaning toward IDM and prominent synth/bass that paints the image of a future city gate on “ Elemental .” This is followed by “ Codex ,” which is given a special dose of classic IDM-style glitch effects , and the rest continues into “ The Looking Glass ,” which gives off a nighttime-shadow feel through its slightly dark synth melodies. “Band...

Search This Blog