As anyone following the blog might by now know, I have a special place in my heart for the marriage between electronic music and post rock. Something about the lush textures of synths, expansive guitars and the “bright melancholy” of post rock just works incredibly well. A fine example of that is Aesthesys, a Russian band with a host of releases behind them who are now gearing up for their sophomore full length, Achromata. They blend strings, a sense of wonder and post rock sensibilities into one energetic whole, drawing obvious but necessary comparisons to 65daysofstatic but also This Patch of Sky and world’s end girlfriend. Head on down below to hear the opening track from the upcoming release, “Grauer Wald”!
From the first moment when the electronic opening line gains that slightly dis-harmonic twist, you know these guys mean business. While the structure of the track itself is pretty standard, what Aesthesys do with it is nothing short of brilliant. The string parts, both in tone and composition, are fleshed out and powerful, while the guitars provide a rumbling counterpoint to their more rarified and shrill timbre. Prominent too are the drums, very much in keeping with the sound of the genre Aesthesys but also injecting the track with a much needed fullness and direction. The overall mix, both epic but pronounced and discreet, gives the comparison above to world’s end girlfriend its merit; something in the soundtrack quality of the track combined with an intimacy that’s hard to resist just makes that project’s name spring to mind.
Overall, the band cleverly sidestep some issues inherent in the genre; they don’t descend into too much electronic overbearing, the crescendo is important but not all-important, giving the rest of the track plenty of room to breathe and express itself, and the production is on point, preserving clarity. Having listened to the full album, I can safely tell you that this is no fluke; Aesthesys are simply very good at creating these kind of rich tapestries and balancing all of the elements therein to make sure they pull it off. You can head on over here to pre-order a physical edition of the album or grab a digital copy via the band’s Bandcamp above. Happy dreaming!