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Since Aereogramme's 2001 debut, "A Story In White," the band has drawn a constant stream of comparisons to the slow, brooding post-rock of behemoths Mogwai, Explosions In The Sky and Godspeed You! Black Emperor. The comparisons stand for good reason: Since 2001, Aereogramme has been making slow, brooding post-rock that explores soaring, distorted crescendos and slow, atmospheric acoustics much like their contemporaries.
It is strange, however, that the comparisons continue to come as strong as they once had. Aereogramme's new release, "My Heart Has a Wish That You Would Not Go," has only one track that exceeds six minutes (the shuffling, Tool-esque "Living Backwards") while most of their prog-rocking contemporaries consistently write and are sometimes specifically known for tracks with lengths upward of 10 minutes. It is almost expected for any band with a penchant for slow-moving rock to take just about as much time as possible to build up a stirring climax.
And maybe that is what makes Aereogramme's new record so good. From the initial few seconds of "Conscious Life For Coma Boy," the record's first track (and obvious nod to Explosions In The Sky's "The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place" opener "First Breath After Coma"), Aereogramme lets listeners know exactly what they are dealing with: Tremolo-picked distorted guitars rise over themselves exuberantly atop thumping drums in 3/4 time to create a rousing, if brief, climax straight from the beginning before fading into a slower section to reveal vocalist Craig B.'s innocent tenor.
The first track sets the tone for the rest of the album in short order, with most of the record's pieces taking their cues from the first. "Barriers," the new lead single, is another stirring paean in 3/4, this time with an emotive string part dramatically adding a triumphant heft to Craig B.'s chorus of "I've found love/ In the loneliest places/ Places I shouldn't be found." Several other tracks also incorporate an orchestral element, such as the brass swells on the slow-moving "Trenches" or the moody, plucked violins that propel the dark and driving "Nightmares."
The incorporation of traditional acoustic instruments isn't a new idea in post-rock: Godspeed You! Black Emperor have been doing it since they got their start in the mid-'90s. While Aereogramme isn't exactly innovating, it does a good job of using its large sound palette effectively and manage not to cram the album's production too tightly, something the band has been accused of in the past. When the strings are paired with Craig's lyrical subject matter and youthful voice, however, things can get sappy, sometimes ruining the atmosphere of the darker songs. Near the end of "Nightmares," for example, the song exchanges the pizzicato violins and plodding drums for a rising bowed violin line and Craig B.'s bright-eyed insistence that "only love can save me now."
Despite some of the tackiness Aereogramme sometimes gets itself into (just the title of the record alone might make some listeners shake their heads), it is not hard to look past the sappy stuff to find a stirring, striking record that stands on its own among some of the best of the genre. Aereogramme has figured out how to write an involving, complete four-minute pop song that avoids the pitfalls of a Coldplay-like formula while still delivering the heart-pounding choruses and climaxes that make Coldplay popular. With "My Heart Has a Wish That You Would Not Go," Aereogramme has breathed new life into a stale post-rock scene, one that bodes well for new music in the future.
Now that you've read about it, listen to it. Visit www.sonicunyon.com or www.myspace.com/aereogramme.
4 / 5 STARS
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