Rockfreaks.net

Slack Armada

Slack Armada EP

Written by: MN on 12/02/2014 17:18:38

Slack Armada is the musical brainwork of James Hrabak, a man that creates a soothing post-rock/ambient electronica that inspires the listener through the smaller intricacies in his work instead of an explicit vocal line. Armada attempts to portray certain abstract facets of existence through an ambient and cathartic journey of sounds both simple and very elaborate in texture. Shoegaze, post-rock, ambient are all ways of describing this one man project, and the degree of success is mainly from the spontaneous leaps into the unexpected as witnessed in this little, powerful EP. The first initial impression is that "Slack Armada" is essentially driven by an electronica backdrop that utilizes thumping bass lines, sweep snares, woodwind synths and a generally long-winded ”shoegaze” development. To my surprise however, the EP contains stimulating variation, even some heavier stuff. It is clear that Hrabak knows his ways around producing toasty quality beats complimented by a minimal but effectively used electric guitar.

The first two tracks, namely ”Rebirth” and ”Your Majesty” inspire a rejuvenating moodset. ”Rebirth” slowly unwinds itself with slightly distorted guitar notes meticulously layered on a driven bass- and drum line. ”Your Majesty” initiates with a dirty snare and a phased bass line, ultimately revealing some very atmospheric layers of synths and tribal drumming in the most discreet manifestation. Woodwind orchestration eventually takes centre stage along with some bell chimes that leads into a rather eerie resolution to one of the more detailed tracks. “Looper” is the first song to completely yank you by the navel and awaken you from the slumber created on the previous tracks. The crunchy and highly distorted guitars provide a good shake up, but despite small nuances still heralding the soundscape especially towards the end, it is easily one of the more boring tracks on the record. To seal this otherwise great EP “Escape Velocity” is in the best "fischerspooner" style a very bassy and energized track that steers the listener into the final climax. Here the use of guitars creates a noisy electronica not unlike Karhide, and eventually resolves in a similar moodset as the EP commenced with.

I enjoyed this EP of Slack Armada which has proven worth a couple of listens. Providing a reflective and energy-inducing listening experience, Slack Armada can clearly be a relevant addition to an already interesting post-rock/electronica scene. It is important to note though that the EP at times felt a little too safe, I would like to have seen James Hrabak go even more out on the knife's edge, especially considering that no vocal chords have been used. It will be interesting to see the success rate of Slack Armada on a full length production.

Download: Rebirth, Your Majesty
For The Fans Of: Karhide, Pelican, Brian Eno
Listen: facebook.com

Release Date 04.10.2013
Self-released