A Closer Listen
It’s the brass. Irish post-rock duo A Burial at Sea has a not-so-secret weapon, and they’re not afraid to use it. The surging guitars, the crashing drums, troughs and crests, breakdowns and crescendos are all here, but the brass takes the music to another level. By the ending of opener “páirc béal uisce” this influence is readily apparent: icing on an already delicious cake.
Close to Home is only the duo’s second album, following an excellent self-titled release in 2020. A global pandemic slowed them down in touring, but not in tempo; the album is named after the forced curtailing of travel. In the interim, the writers focused more on the area around them, dedicating tracks to a coastline, a father, a childhood village. Hy-Brasil, “the phantom island of Ireland,” receives the thoughtful treatment, as if horns could raise the island from the fog. But as much as Close to Home recalls folklore, it also imagines places unseen; the cover collage seems to stretch into outer space.
The band doesn’t need brass; “tor head” and “GORSE BUSH ON FIRE” are all-out rockers, and will likely be stadium favorites. Their fist-pumping nature recalls And So I Watch You From Afar; one can even imagine pogoing and slam dancing. And in slightly unusual fashion for a post-rock band, only one song tops five minutes, albeit not by much. Only in the direct center do they slow down; “objects of the house” is a shoegaze selection, replete with sparse vocals, a left field surprise that allows listeners to catch their breath. “NEW old” adds a jazz flavor before an eruption of drums, guitars and brass at 2:42 returns the set to its post-rock roots. “masterfred” merges shoegaze and post-rock: a more powerful piece than “objects of the house” as it adds blocks to the architecture then takes them away, leaving only the drums. In “everything you are not,” the brass line echoes that of the guitars, leading to a euphoric cavalcade of drums, the album’s highest peak.
With any luck, this will be A Burial at Sea’s year. With festivals and tours in full swing, fans will finally be able to hear what they’ve been missing. We’re not sure how many guests they will need to bring with them to replicate the album (there are two on Bandcamp, four on their website, and they’ll need horns), but we picture a stage filled with euphoric brass ‘n’ roll. (Richard Allen)
Sun Feb 11 00:01:43 GMT 2024