It’s certainly ambitious and what’s so fascinating is that it succeeds on almost every level.
Sit down. Be quiet and pay attention. I’ll have no larking around in this class. Thompson, I know your mother! Behave now children. This is serious stuff. Right, are we all sitting quiet? Then we shall begin.
I tell you, there’s no messing around with this bunch. Azar is an album that’s so grand in scope it should have Monument Valley on its cover instead of the run-down town that graces it’s sleeve. If ever there were such a thing as a widescreen album, this is it. Everything is so painstakingly put together and so multi-layered that I feel should be calling this bunch an orchestra instead of a band. It’s certainly ambitious and what’s so fascinating is that it succeeds on almost every level.
It’s not the most accessible album, in that it’s not very playful, but my word is it impressive. You simply have to applaud the craftsmanship involved here. It certainly shouldn’t be played to audiences in sticky-floored nightclubs and bars. This album deserves a more restrained atmosphere. Stick these guys in a room normally reserved for an orchestra and I’ll bet they sound amazing! This may be too intricate for some, and it could bore the living day lights out of you if you’re tanked up on cider and black but if you’ve got the time and patience to give it full attention, Azar will make your world seem like a better place.
Venice Is Sinking, perhaps, but it’s still a gorgeous place to be. Welcome to the soundtrack of a better life.
Words: Damian Leslie