Saturday 3 February 2018

Deluge Grander - Oceanarium (2017)


The fourth album from this US band.

The band is a trio with a lineup of bass, guitars, drums and keyboards.
They have got help from guest musicians providing woodwinds, flute, violin and cello.

Deluge Grander is Dan Britton's love and band. He also runs Emkog Records who has got some other very interesting bands. That in addition to the first three Deluge Grander albums.
I reviewed their third album, the 2014 Helotians. You can find it here and it also has got links to my reviews of their first two albums.

I think it is fair to label their albums as art-rock. Art for the sake of art. Very dense art which really challenges the listener.

This album is a fine example of that. Art for the sake of art. It really starts very pedestrian and not so interesting. Very understated. Very pedantic.

And so goes most of the first one hour of these eighty minutes. Very pedantic and pedestrian slow music which sometimes breaks into mid-tempo. A lot of woodwinds creates a strang mood. The oboe comes into it's own right here. The music almost feels like a funeral dirge at times. The sound is very very weird.

The music is still very interesting but you really have to strain your neck and ears to get the music. This first one hour is bordering to an artistic suicide and not everything here is good.

The final twenty minutes sees the music soaring towards the sky and a great finale. Just as in an opera.

Deluge Grander has never ever delivered easy music. This one is bordering to very difficult listening and it has taken me a month to be able to summarise my opinions about it. OK....

This is a very good album, in my opinion. And it is an album I will be listening to again in some years time too. It has this classic feeling. But be warned; this album requires as lot of time and resources from the listener. Check it out.

3.5 points




No comments:

Post a Comment