Metavari Nails the Combo
Guitars. Keyboards. Drum machines. Beards. Be One Of Us and Hear No Noise employs these expertly.
Metavari
Be One Of Us and Hear No Noise
Released on Aug 18, 2009
The instrumental trio from Indiana really took me by surprise. Be One Of Us and Hear No Noise starts off with the track “Kings Die Like Other Men” which opens up with a finger picked acoustic guitar on top of a very simple drum sequence. Then samples of dialogue layer on top of it, telling us that “it will be an adventure that will open new sights and familiar surroundings”. As the spoken samples continue, the drums progressively become more complex as synths and bass come in to gradually build the song up into a much more developed sound.
There is a very thin line between being overly simple and having too much going on in an instrumental sound that Metavari consistently travels down through most of the album. The band has a very minimalist approach to song writing, and hints of Explosions In The Sky and Godspeed You! Black Emperor can be found throughout without sounding like an imitation. Just about every track can be on and not demand your full attention, but when you give it your full attention, you discover new layers that you would not have heard before.
Metavari found a formula that works great with their music. That being said, sometimes the structure of the songs are a little too uniform; start off with a few measures of simplicity and gradually expand on it. Some of the songs would sound even better without these lead-ins. At least the songs get to the point of sounding full. My biggest complaint is that only three of the ten tracks start off with drums instead of waiting to build up to it, and only one of those is anywhere close to the complicated sequence it eventually becomes. A few songs that start off strong would have been nice to throw into the mix.
All of the instruments have a great quality to their sound, and it is noticeable how much time and care was put into the sound going in and the mix coming out. You can tell that these guys know how to play music, not just their instruments. Metavari pulled off the difficult task of throwing big and unusual instrumentations without throwing it into your face. The closing track “Pacific Lights” has a great drum beat with clean bass, delayed guitars, strings, and a harp all working together without sounding too busy or showy. This track is one of the best off of the album and manages to tie everything together with a solo harpist playing the song’s central theme.
Be One of Us and Hear No Noise greatly surpassed what I was expecting to hear. This is an album definitely worth checking out if you are a fan of post-rock instrumental bands like Explosions In The Sky. Be One of Us and Hear No Noise will be available for purchase and download on August 18th. Give yourself the treat you deserve and give this a listen.
High Point
Lots of movement throughout the entire album, lots of different instruments and patterns without being overbearing. The overall mix sounds great.
Low Point
Many of the songs follow the same structure formula of starting small and expanding with layers, but not to the point of annoyance.
Posted by Scott Potter on Aug 04, 2009 @ 5:00 am
