Friday, October 10, 2008

ACROSS TUNDRAS - Dark Songs Of The Prairie


ACROSS TUNDRAS
Dark Songs Of The Prairie
Crucial Blast Records
8.5/10




As the lead cut from Across Tundras settles in, the listeners gains the impression of a sprawling, dream-like state of sonic emotion. If Jane's Addiction had ingested a lot of downers during their mid-career, they may have sounded like this. The distant nature of "If God Cuts You Down" also gives credence to the type of twangy alt-rock that Pearl Jam has been known to experiment with. If these analogies scare you a bit, please know that Across Tundras also throws a serious doom vibe into some sections of their music, but it's of the type that is focused on depressive emotions and not outright heaviness. The majority of the substance here is psychedelic. Ingestion may cause a heightening of musical awareness.

During certain times, the music here can be downright beautiful, at other times, dismal and withdrawn. This duality is essentially the appeal of Across Tundras as the trio makes a great impression in terms of both performance and composition. You'll find the group does an admirable job production-wise, proving that bands often know best how they should sound, without exterior interference clogging up the mix.

All in all, Dark Songs Of The Prairie is an endeavor that reaches toward vast horizons and attains them, taking you on an expansive, enjoyable trip that underlines the fact that heaviness is not always typified by volume or speed, but is consistently driven by emotion. Deeply inspired and intensely creative, this is a great pick for any lover of experimental music that wishes to widen the scope of their musical attenuation.


ERIN FOX © 2005 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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