Phonebook Eater 8/10

"Plains Of Purple Buffalo" brings Post-Rock to places where it's never been: one of the finest releases of the year.

Post-Metal is not a rarity these days, many bands out there are imitating much of the old school, Post-Rock, or Sludge Metal. This is not exactly the case of this London act, *Shels, one of the most unique sounding bands I've heard in a while. Their attitude towards this kind of music is haunting, dreamy, but especially very sincere, in almost a juvenile sort of way, while at the same time, it becomes one of the most earthly and visceral experiences you'll ever have. "Plains Of Purple Buffalo", the sophomore LP, perfectly represents the enigmatic dichotomy.

This relatively obscure gem redefines for one hour and twenty minutes Post-Rock, but you can tell that this little revolution, sadly, will remain within the boundaries of the album and will most likely never influence much music in the future, due to it's overlooked nature. The music is extremely haunting, whether it is calm or violent: it also goes for an extreme choice volume-wise, as there is minimalism in the mellower parts and visceral, pounding distortion in the heavy moments. The band loves to experiment with new sounds and ideas on every song, meaning there's a great variety of instrumentation with also a different song structure ever time. Some of the most noticeable sounds, besides strange synth noises or guitar effects, are the saxophone, which appears in most of the songs here, some strings, but especially the vocals: these are the most precious and unique addition to the sound, ironically enough; they are always lost in the mix, put at a lower volume than the guitars, so that the lyrics are inaudible. However, this feature strengthens the idea that *Shels wanted to give with this album: they wanted you to feel overwhelmed by sound, and at the same time, cry in joy for it. The violent parts truly resemble being hit by a pack of buffalos that is running only for the sake of doing so. The vocals, like the listener, are resembling someone who's trying to get some air from all that stomping, and the result is so beautiful, it almost makes violence the most gorgeous thing on the planet.

This obscure gem, like it was mentioned, brings Post-Rock/Post-Metal in a place where it's never been, and probably would never again return without *Shels. Entering into the world of "Plains Of Purple Buffalo" is like dreaming to hide in your closet in the dark, only to find in there your little, melancholic, desolate world, that belongs only to you. With this album I couldn't help recalling children's books where you enter fantastic, dreamy places, and you bring with you all of your innocence. But when violence overwhelms you, everything seems clear, and violence becomes part of your conception of beauty and joy. It might seem pessimistic, but in truth, it is the most positive and powerful album you'll hear this year, as it turns everything into a dream, a reverie.

As far as the highlights are concerned, well, the album has plenty: from the multi parted opening track, which gives a perfect introduction, "Journey To The Plains". This track is basically a summary of the album to come, all of the defining traits are found in these seven minutes. After that, the remaining hour is a much more developed, detailed, focused, but also stretched out version of the opening minutes: the two part title track is a very complete sounding piece of music, ranging from Ambient influences (almost exclusively in part 1) to Sludge Metal. "The Spirit Horse"' is probably the most memorable and moving songs here, with a brilliant intro and an absolutely wonderful main section, where I can't help thinking about Shoegaze. Same thing for the more cheerful "Butterflies On Luci's Way", with it's almost childish hook, or "Vision Quest", or the dreamiest atmosphere or all, "Conqueror".

These songs change shape, set a different mood every few minutes, and that is something I've always found magical in an album. A stunningly beautiful, complex, eclectic and finally complete piece of art, a little gem that should be recognized much more. No doubt one of the peak moments of the year, as well one of the best modern albums of Post-Rock.

avestin When power and subtleness meet

Can you imagine an album in which you can literally swim in its music? For me, this is such an album.

The interplay of electro-acoustic guitars with the devastating heavy riffs of the electric guitars is a great ear-catcher. Done very well and makes for a great listening experience. This band puts emphasize on emotion, melody and power in their music. Crushing upon you with their heaviness is not the only thing they know how to do; they also deliver smoother and softer facets, creating beautiful soundscapes of marvelous power and beauty.

The music can come tumbling upon you like a ton of bricks (The White Umbrella Part 2). The riffs are just like I love them; crunchy, heavy, raw and wide. But here is also the good thing about these guys; there's no dominance of the heavy upon the subtle. On the contrary, where softness is needed, it is given its place; in the aforementioned song, the light and delightful part follows the heavy one and they co-exist together so well. The switch is natural, flowing easily from one to the other. The vocals are mostly on the clear and malleable side, fitting very well with the two opposing facets of the music, those being the soft where they enhance it and the harsher where they contrast it. When they are on the more ferocious side, they are very well done, fit the music perfectly and add to the rawness of the sound and to the volume of the music. Another good thing here is that it is not a shiny and clean production; rather it is crispy, hard edged and somewhat raw, whether in the overall sound or specifically in the guitar riffs.

I find that I make the most of listening to this album during night time; there is fantastic soundscape weaving here and a great interplay of mellow and harsh. It is an album that is pretty accessible but that needs several listens to appreciate its beauty and intricacies, mainly due to its length. There is a very good balance between the scenic musical soundscapes and the more song-oriented songs which makes for a well equilibrated album and a varied sounding album.

This album has all the right elements, and all act synergistically to create what is an exceptional listening experience. This is not a simply metal release; it is an exercise in texture making, in layering, and in building tension through contrast while actually reaching harmony. Powerful is a word that is used often, but in this case, the word does not only describe the metal elements, but also the emotions the music elicits. Last but not least, the art of composing an appealing tune is applied here throughout the album; melody is oozing from each moment of each track. It is compelling and haunting music; such that stays with me after the album is done and which makes me want to come back and listen to it again.

What you should do: Get this album, dim the lights, put this cd in your player, sit down, close your eyes and be carried away by and with the music.