DREAMS AND EMPIRES-Distances CD-EP
Opens with the near 7 minute title track and showcases everything the band's all about in one magnificent anthem. Quiet acoustic intro with heartfelt vocals usher in a song of great delicacy with a vocal that's pure yet strong as the strum of guitars, a distant peal of electric guitar and deep bass textures provide the backdrop. Gradually it starts to climb then, with a rush of drums, this towering tornado of synths and guitars sounds like some kind of rock orchestra as it takes the vocals spiralling upwards with it, only to disappear almost as abruptly as it began, diving back down to earth to start the process all over again, and the effect is stunning as the song flows then takes off once more. At the end of this burst of chorus, it drops down to just acoustic guitar and vocal, the whole feel of the song still intact, only a string synth adds texture as the dreamy nature is interrupted by that mighty tower of a chorus and instrumental expanse once again. The song's dynamics are sheer magic and if ever there was something you could call an indie anthem, this is it. The four and a half minute “Halfway Home” is even more varied, starting with rapid-fire electronic drums before this swaying and scything synthesizer riff heralds another eruption of guitar riffs and massive string synths, only this time the rhythm section settles into this rifle-fire rhythm that you think is going to lead into some kind of death metal blitz, but instead adds more urgency, passion and firepower to the previous style of track and dives into a roaring slice of impassioned rock, veering back and forth between the synth-riff led anthem of the verses and the blistering guitars-driven attack of the chorus, vocals alternately sung and hollered to great effect. Things end with the 4 minute “The Mocking Tides”, this time a rolling, full-sounding piano lead heralding staccato drumming and deep bass as another airy vocal ensues, only this time the band wastes no time in exploding into the orchestral rock maelstrom as the hollered vocal takes centre stage above the dynamite before diving back down in a hail of strings, delicate percussion and clattering beats, only to erupt even more majestically than before, the band one massive density of synths, strings, guitars, drums, bass, hollered and sung vocals, an veritable anthemic arsenal of its own making and one absolutely magnificent tidal wave of sonic delight.