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CD Feature/ Fear Falls Burning: "We slowly lift ourselves from Dust"

  Tobias

Not all that much seperates us from a short break in the Fear Falls Burning catalogue. An event which deserves some attention, as we have basically been able to set our watches to his releases over the last two years. While a monumental five LP set will capture a string of collaborations with artist ranging from Aidan Baker to Frans de Waard, “We slowly lift ourselves from dust” effectively closes the first chapter of the project’s history with a recording which dates back to November of 2005. As such, it is an atmospheric and almost nostalgic trip somewhere between the bipolar nature of “the rainbow mirrors a burning heart” and his most recent output on Tonefloat.

Which gives us the chance of looking back on a period of many wonderous surprises and the slow unfolding of a unique style which one can recognise out of a million. Of course, this partly has to do with the fact that many of the recent records have been similar in nature. The different release policies of the various labels has also meant that Fear Falls Burning in 2007 are already way beyond what is presented on this coloured picture disc and we can expect the next studio album, tentatively scheduld for early next year, to explore new territory. On the other hand, “We slowly lift ourselves” definitely stands its ground, if only because its 10’’ format (think of a slightly smaller regular Vinly offering) means that the running time sits somehwere between the compact miniatures of a 7’’and the lush spaceousness of a full-length. Both extremes have had their merrits for Fear Falls Burning, but the two tracks presented here are by no means neither fish nor fowl. Side A takes off with a heavy, demasculated doom metal riff, dragging itself from chord to chord almost like a parody. The tone is serious, yet sober, the sound is dry, raw and unpolished. Through a series of repetitions, the motive develops a bizarre catchyness, before translucent harmonies come in like the sun eclipses a raincloud, just staying underneath the surface, only to turn into the centre of attention as the riff slowly fades from the scene towards the very end. On the flipside, the meditative aftermath of the opening is explored in more depth, as a wall of four drone tones swells and decongests through various filter modulations.

Even though there is a clear relationship between the two pieces, they are not like snakes biting each other’s tails nor Yin and Yang and that is what makes “We slowly lift ourselves from dust” stand out from some of the other Fear Falls Burning releases from the last months, which either saw the flipside of the record pick up at a different point within the same track or take an atmospherically opposed stance. Here, everything remains ambivalent, undefined, unresolved and by all means intangible in a seductive kind of way. You have a feeling you know what all of this means, but you need further evidence from an as yet uncertain future. Which may be a perfect way indeed to finish this episode and turn towards something new.

By Tobias Fischer

Homepage: Fear Falls Burning
Homepage: Fear Falls Burning at MySpace
Homepage: A Silent Place Records