WE ARE WINTER’S BLUE AND RADIANT CHILDREN brings together Mat Ball (Big Brave) and Efrim Manuel Menuck (Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Thee Silver Mt. Zion) along with members from defunct post rock band Ada. Within their respective bands these musicians have explored sprawling and spacious songwriting in genres like post rock and drone, with Menuck being known as one of the more influential in the post rock genre. But what makes collaborations like this exciting is it allows for familiar elements to be transformed into something a bit different from their other projects, and that’s exactly what this group has done on their debut "NO MORE APOCALYPSE FATHER" (though as you can see, Godspeed’s out-there naming conventions still apply). Spread across six songs, this album takes a less structured and droning approach to its writing as it explores bleak yet warm instrumentation. It takes a little bit to get going and will likely few times through to sink in, but this is an exciting first step and hopefully there’s even more to come.
In the promotional text for the album, it mentions that the album explores the idea of experiencing bleakness and horrors from a place of safety and warmth, and that idea really comes through as you spend more time with each of its songs. Compared to the methodical build-ups of post rock or heavier tones of drone metal and doomgaze that Ball and Menuck have explored, WE ARE WINTER’S BLUE AND RADIANT CHILDREN opts for looser, sprawling instrumentation that ebbs and flows with a more freeform approach. Opener “Rats and Roses” gives a good indication of what to expect, as it builds slowly with field recordings and booming synths that give way to layers of shimmering guitar. There’s something immediately eerie and slightly unsettling to the tonality, especially as the synths come through like a heartbeat and have a vaguely horror movie feel to them. But when you add in the beautiful melodic textures of the guitar and the softer, melancholic singing, this also gives off a warmer atmosphere, as though you’re seeing the outline of an unknown creature or assailant but from the safety of a locked and very thick steel door. Admittedly despite that strong start, it does take a couple of tracks before "NO MORE APOCALYPSE FATHER" reaches some of their full potential, as “Tremble Pour Light” continues the pulsing synths of “Rats and Roses” but uses a different singer who has a deeper pitch more akin to Swans. It’s not bad, but blurs together with its predecessor and it isn’t until the title track kicks in that it becomes clear how much power this material can generate.
“No More Apocalypse Father” does admittedly keep that same rhythmic whir/pulse, at least for its first thirty seconds or so but where “Tremble Pour Light” seemed to meander a bit too much and keep things sparse, here the pulse builds into a dense and appropriately apocalyptic soundscape where there’s a sense of decay and abrasion mixed in with beauty. It’s a short track at five and a half minutes, but it brings just a bit more structure into the mix and uses that time to reach incredible peaks where the layers get destroyed and reconstructed to reach stunning levels. The vocals are also worth mentioning here as they come through slightly above the layers of distortion, as if you’re hearing them from the top of a mountain peak overlooking ruins below. From this point onwards the album remains captivating until it reaches its conclusion, as “Uncloudy Days” gives you a respite from the distortion in favor of more subdued and mysterious synths that bring back more of the warmth. “Dangling Blanket From A Balcony (White Phosphorous)” and “(Goodnight) White Phosphorous” fit together in a similar manner as the first two songs, and this is where WE ARE WINTER’S BLUE AND RADIANT CHILDREN flexes what they can do with their looser, sprawling instrumentation on longer track lengths. The former emphasizes equal amounts of distortion and melody that remind me of what it feels like to sit in a sunny spot in your house for too long, as there’s plenty of warmth but a slight bit of discomfort from overexposure. On the other side of the spectrum, the latter closes things out with haunting instrumentation that has a colder, bleaker tone but there’s still something ethereal about it. There may not be clear peaks and valleys with drums and other rhythms providing a clear path forwards like with post rock, but the way things ebb and flow here proves to be just as compelling. The only element I’m not as crazy about is the singing at the beginning of “Dangling Blanket From A Balcony (White Phosphorous)”, as it comes off as a bit out of place and unnecessary.
There are a few rough spots, as “Tremble Pour Light” doesn’t quite stick with me in the same way the other songs do and some of the vocal work didn’t fully click. But the rest of what WE ARE WINTER’S BLUE AND RADIANT CHILDREN has to offer is so compelling that it makes up for it and has kept me coming back for more. Compared to the other bands its members have been in, this group opts for soundscapes that are both bleak and harrowing while also warm and inviting, and when you also factor in the more droning and fluid way they ebb and flow this makes it sound unique. Hopefully this isn’t a one-off and there’s more planned for this project, as there seems to be plenty of interesting directions they could choose to go in. "NO MORE APOCALYPSE FATHER" is available from Constellation Records.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg