Balmorhea Know All Is Wild All Is Silent

Balmorhea is the next post rock band in line to prove me wrong when it comes to post rock. You see, they're actually really very good at what they do and rather than sound like Tortoise or something along those lines, this group uses a string section as the centerpiece for their music. Their latest album, All Is Wild, All Is Silent almost sums up their record to a tee.

Sounding at times like the Rachels meets Robert Fripp out in a pasture, Balmorhea are a rustic, pastoral bunch who write songs that at times almost sound as country as they do orchestral. Their mesmerizing use of strings, banjos, and acoustic guitars in a host of ways keeps their songs from ever getting boring. There are so many different aspects of their work to latch onto, that the lack of words becomes irrelevant. Balmorhea create their atmospheric sounds using a songlike sensibility. In other words, there are aspects to the songs on All Is Wild, All Is Silent that feel like verses and choruses and it's those elements that your brain and ears will lock into despite the lack of vocals.

All Is Wild, All Is Silentis far from a meandering muck of muso guitar junk; this is a record that's concise in it's approach while still creating songs that sound like they were designed to stretch on for days. "Remembrance," for example, is a solemn song that starts quiet and maintains a reflective feel while slowly building over the course of its 5:44 run. It works itself into a folky uproar with handclaps, banjos, and more, only to once again go back to being tranquil and introspective. It's haunting but powerful stuff that becomes all the more impressive when you realize that there's barely anything but an acoustic guitar present.

Balmorhea are an impressive quintet of musicians who create austere encounters with sound. The textures and music they come up with tell stories without words and All Is Wild, All Is Silent is filled with nine tales for your mind and ears to mull over and your imagination to run wild to. It's moving and dramatic stuff that will linger with you long after you have stopped listening. I must admit that, All Is Wild, All Is Silent is a beautiful record that's gone a long way to restoring my faith in the post rock genre.