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Del Rey

Immemorial

Written by: DR on 18/12/2010 18:50:08

Hailing from the USA we have Del Rey. The quintet's career thus far has stretched over twelve years, starting in a flat in Chicago, to present, their fourth full-length "Immemorial". Four full-lengths and one EP over a twelve year span suggests they like to take a lot of time with their music, and that they probably have time consuming lives outside of their music, which together has resulted in "Immemorial" taking nearly four years to create.

There are seven instrumental tracks on here, four main ones lasting between eight minutes and eleven minutes, and then three short interludes. Already sounds challenging doesn't it? That's because it is, even to a post-rock-phile such as myself. It takes more than just a few listens for this album to grow on you, the reason for this is the lack of instantly recognisable influences on their sleeve. You could cite bands such as Pelican and Russian Circles, sure, but there are outside influences. For instance, for this album they've adopted Asian instruments in their sound such as the Chinese guzheng and the Japanese taiko - both drums. They also add considerable layers to their songs, only something an experienced band could do without it seeming aimless, and although in the long run it makes for a more rewarding listen, it can initially seem quite a daunting task to try and digest.

Keeping your interest with songs that can last up to ten minutes long is no easy feat, but Del Rey just about pull it off with cinematic guitar-work, and how little silence there actually is. The songs don't really take a long time to get going, hence no quiet build up, which I suspect is one of the most off-putting characteristics of this genre to oustsiders.

During the ten-minute course of "Silent Weapons For Quiet Wars" Del Rey use the tribal drumming and edgy-turned-cinematic guitars and even a drone influence for a gradual build up into a wall-of-sound, making it the finest song on this album. "These Children That Come At You With Knives" fully utilises the Asian-element in the opening few minutes to good effect, it then goes through the various quiet/loud stages for a few more minutes, while still maintaining your attention, before closing with a crescendo.

"Immemorial" is an album by an experienced post-rock band who don't want to make just another post-rock album, they're aiming to try things a little differently and incorporate a wider array of influences. On those two aforementioned tracks they get it right, and even though they last around ten minutes they do hold your attention. But sometimes the ambition slightly outweighs what they manage to execute - the rest of the songs, although technically interesting, don't reward your patience like you'd hope.

Download: Silent Weapons For Quiet Wars, These Children That Come At You With Knives
For The Fans of: Pelican, Russian Circles
Listen: Myspace

Release Date 01.10.2010
Golden Antenna