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(2016) Hammock - Everything and Nothing
Review:
Hammock’s music is cerebral, beautiful, and emotional, and this new record includes all these elements but also takes steps in new directions. There are a myriad of different voices occurring throughout this song suite, and there are faster paced songs as well. The band often paints somber musical portraits, but even in the deepest darkness, there are glimmers of light floating through.
Is music for stargazing enough to describe the immersive experience demanded of listeners when they listen to Hammock? Perhaps it is on one level, but there is so much more happening here. On another level, this record is about recovering from the bad times. It is inward facing and reflective, even as Marc Byrd and Andrew Thompson open their arms and welcome you in with a swell of warm musical waves. Their music is always accessible, but possibly never more than this occasion. The album was mixed by Peter Katis (The National, Interpol, Jónsi) and mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound.
“Turn Away and Return” opens the door and you are awash in the band’s signature sound, both reminded of the past and reaffirming the present. Light, airy vocals float in and out, almost ephemeral in their presence. Then the single “Clarity” kicks in, and you’re in another world altogether. The energy and vibrations are high, and the style approaches dreamy shoegaze, but in no way is this derivative. There are a ton of bright, gauzy layers with a magnificent symphonic sheen and a slightly faded percussive track, all designed to draw you in and keep you engaged.
“Glassy Blue” is the third pre-released single, and it’s fronted by an acoustic guitar. The song’s strata slowly builds and then in swoop the vocals. Everything in this arrangement just works in perfect unison, and I feel my mind soar in tandem. At the 3 minute mark, the song is stripped back slightly to bring the acoustic guitar forward, and then the voices chime back in.
Tracklist:
1. Turn Away and Return (5:13)
2. Clarity (6:23)
3. Glassy Blue (5:17)
4. Dissonance (3:16)
5. Marathon Boy (5:04)
6. We Could Have Been Beautiful Again (6:39)
7. Everything and Nothing (3:57)
8. She Was in the Field Counting Stars (4:49)
9. Burning Down the Fascination (3:33)
10. Wasted We Stared at the Ceiling (4:28)
11. Reverence (5:00)
12. I Will Become the Ground You Walk On (3:18)
13. We Were So Young (5:34)
14. You Walk Around… Shining Like the Sun (6:06)
15. Unspoken (4:32)
16. Before You Float Away into Nothing (3:16)
Bandcamp Edition Bonus Tracks
17. There Is Only This (Bonus Track) (5:07)
18. Lights Will Draw You Back (Bonus Track) (4:18)
19. Devil Wind (Bonus Track) (3:41)
20. Start Over Again (Bonus Track) (4:42)
Summary:
Country: USA
Genre: post-rock, shoegaze
Media Report:
Source : CD
Format : FLAC
Format/Info : Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : ~ 606-930 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Sampling rate : 44.1 KHz
Bit depth : 16 bits |
