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An LP of guitar-based instrumentals is always difficult to sum up. I suppose a lot of reviews will mention bands like Mogwai, or Explosions in the Sky, and I would agree there are a fair number of similarities, especially in mournful work-outs like the opener, Where Dirt Meets Water, or Washington. Still, Codes in the Clouds have pulled off a good scam in calling in Nils Frahm to master this collection, and something of Mr Frahm’s dreamy muse and lightness of touch seems to have infiltrated the band’s music. Funnily enough if any act sprang to mind when I first heard this record it was the Durutti Column: especially on the fluid guitar and tappety beats showcased on Look Back, Look Up, sounding very much like the Column’s 1981 album, LC. There you have it: I think Codes in the Clouds sound at times like a muscular and chirpy version of the Durutti Column…
The record has a lot of light and shade and doesn’t really fall into the trap that many records of this genre do, namely hiding any lack of direction or tension with noise. There are subtle twists and turns of plot: You and I Change Like Seasons has enough about it to keep you guessing what is on the agenda, and the record’s sprightliness can be best heard in The Reason In Madness, In Love, which has an elfin charm about it. Best tracks for our money are the last two: The Tragedian sees soft melodic descends balanced against some soaring guitars, and Your Pantopticon is a fine essay in melancholic reflection and brings back those Durutti thoughts again…
A very enjoyable listen indeed.