Long Distance Calling

By Júlio Valada on Jan 30, 2011 in Cd Review | 0 comments

Album: Long Distance Calling
Label: Superball Music
Tracks: 7
Release Date: February 21st in Europe/March 8th in NA
Lenght: 56′ 05″

Riff Score: 7.5/10

Long Distance Call are a German instrumental quintet and part of the massive Post-Rock scene. But what is Post-Rock nowadays? Is it the music pioneered by Talk Talk, Slint and Bark Psychosis two decades ago or the one played by modern bands like Mono, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Red Sparowes? In a world where this simple formula is overused far too often, Long Distance Call bring us their eponymous album, the third on their short-lived career so far, and try to make their way into the scene by being different from the flock.

But is just being different a synonym of being better? The answer is both yes and no. Long Distance Call display a lot of variety in their songs and embrace outside influences from genres like progressive, grunge and even German electronic music. The problem with all this variety is that sometimes you don’t feel at all like you’re listening to a Post-Rock album, and herein lays the major flaw in their music.

When you start listening to the album you’ll find yourself surrounded by ambient compositions that blend very well into the music, some of them even remind me of Trent Reznor’s latest work for the soundtrack of the movie “The Social Network”. Just listen to the start of “Middleville”, or the beginning of the last track “Beyond The Void” where it feels like you’re wandering through a barren landscape with birds chipping and the wind blowing on your face, until you’re finally treated with the traditional guitar build-ups that modern Post-Rock became so famous for. The feeling of desolation is gone at that point, being replaced by a more positive feel which is accompanied by guitar leads that mildly remind me of the latest Red Sparowes album. In fact both the closer and the opener have a guitar work which is similar to the one Red Sparowes use, coincidently also being the best compositions in the album. The opener “Into The Black Wide Open” features some of the best guitar work on the album with some good rocking rhythms and a nice solo near the end. “Invisible Giants” is another track that shows how good they are using this approach, with a great rhythmic section and a more progressive structure.

The songs between these tracks vary a lot in quality, and sometimes even distance themselves from the genre. From the psychedelic opening of “The Figrin D’an Boogie” which will instantly remind you of “Roadhouse Blues” by The Doors, to the quasi-grunge “Middleville” with John Bush (ex-Anthrax/Armored Saint) taking its wailing vocals to a new level, and passing through “Timebends” with its funky beat and jazzy drum fills, this proves to be much more than a simple Post-Rock album. The members of the band think of themselves as more of an Instrumental Rock act, and also disassociate from the Post-Rock tag that’s applied to them. And they do have a point with what they say since they often make use of strait up verse-chorus compositions, sounding more like a band playing for a vocalist than one relying on build-ups and ambience. This is more prevalent on tracks like the aforementioned “Middleville” which sounds pretty solid, mainly because of the structured writing they use, and the rock-out “Arecibo (Long Distance Calling)” with its prog-like sections and bombastic drumming, making you crave for that a A Perfect Circle or Tool albums you’ve been listening to lately.

These influences make up for a very varied album, one that will certainly appeal to a wide range of listeners and not just Post-Rock fans. But as I stated above this much variety isn’t necessarily a good thing as some tracks leave you with an awkward feel, as if they didn’t belong in the album. “Arecibo (Long Distance Calling)” comes to mind, sounding a bit distanced from the rest of the songs. Then there are some tracks that just don’t make your Post-Rock spirits fly too high, with build-ups that go nowhere never reaching a climax, like “The Figrin D’an Boogie” and “Timebends”. All this makes up for an inconsistent album, but with good songs nonetheless. The rest of the album is good enough, proving itself to be a worthy listen.

One thing that I must mention is the production job done on this album. It’s simply amazing! Every instrument and every note played are heard with great definition, yet never sounding thin. Both guitars sound really good and the bass is always present with a good thick tone. The drums…well the drums deserve a paragraph for themselves. Every element in the band is quite skilled, but Janosch Rathmer absolutely steals the show with his amazing rhythmic approach, leaving you floored with his drumming skills. He shines throughout the album but it’s on tracks like “Invisible Giants”, “Arecibo (Long Distance Calling)” and “Middleville” that he shows what he’s capable of.

In the end I find this album to be entertaining enough and a good effort by a still young band with a great margin for future improvement. I would like to see them acquire some more consistency in terms of song-writing and develop an individual personality as a band, instead of trying to honour all their influences in one disc. If they manage to do this, and I believe they’re skilled enough to do so, then they can finally stand as a band above the average. Sadly and for the time being, they just can’t.

Review by Júlio Valada

By: Júlio Valada