I saw these guys live just over a week ago, and they were absolutely incredible. They re-kindled my love for their music, even if listening to it now feels lackluster after being put to shame by such a passionate and moving live performance.
Whilst what earlier material of theirs I've heard just seems to consist atmospheric drawn-out post rock that jumps between being minimalistic and sometimes noisy, they lean a lot more closely to the contemporary classical side of things with Hymn to the Immortal Wind, true to their influences... well, having a near-full orchestra perform on the recordings didn't hurt either.
An incredible album that is both intense and serene, beautiful and sombre, and the only album of theirs so far that's been capable of filling me with such strong senses of heart-wrenching longing, and also peace and hope to such an impressive degree. The story in the insert and album art to follow is a nice touch too.
Hymn to the Immortal WindReleased: 2009
Country: Japan
Genre: Post-Rock/Contemporary Classical
"Follow the Map" music video
"Ashes in the Snow"
