From the very outset, 'The Explorer' sweeps the listener away on a tide of lush, layered strings. In a time when epic instrumental post-rock is positively saturating the music scene, with every third band you see citing Radiohead, Explosions in the Sky, Sigur Ros and The Arcade Fire as major influences, it's increasingly difficult to find bands that truly stand out from the crowd. Nevertheless, that's precisely what The Half Open Sky Gives Us Hope to on this, their debut album.
There may not be quite the monumental, towering crescendos to give the dramatic peaks you might find on an Explosions in the Sky album, but there's still no shortage of drama or texture or changes of mood, from the twinkly sunny chimes of 'Searching Where the Sea Drowns the Sun' to the stormy tempests of 'Syntax Error,' there isn't a moment where 'The Explorer' is less than captivating. The bold swells of sound are majestic and measured, stately almost, and lead the listener through a magical, mystical soundscape.
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It's certainly an assured debut, as brilliantly executed as it is conceived: truly magnificent.
http://www.myspace.com/thehalfopenskygivesushope
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