Gifts From Enola

Gifts From Enola

Written by: DR on 23/07/2010 20:41:41

Once your music tastes begins to expand into genres previously unbroken, it seems like a wave of bands reveal themselves to you. Inevitably, you'll start with the heavyweights and whatever is flavour of the month, in the case of post-rock that'd be the likes of Explosions in the Sky, Godspeed and This Will Destroy You (the ultimate fan boy band). Then, months and months and months later, you begin to scratch away at the pile of acts that occupy the second and third tiers of the genre, which, as the genre becomes more and more popular, are surely only going to become more populated. Gifts From Enola have always seemed like a second tier act; not through lack of talent, but through lack of buzz - their name pops up every now and then but, despite nearly five years on the circuit, they are yet to really explode.

I'm not sure if that will all change with this, the band's third full-length, either. In theory, it probably should. Throughout all five songs there is a style of post-rock that fans of This Will Destroy You and And So I Watch You From Afar alike should welcome, as their sound is a segue between the two acts. The 7 minute-plus compositions, the oh so popular walls of sound - both of these are attributed to the former; the sudden time signature shits, the guitar-driven nature that's so pumped up at times it's considered a viable substitute for steroids - these are attributed to the latter. Eight-minute opener "Lionized" combines the build up play of the aforementioned bands, the daunting periods of quiet similar to pg.lost, with the post-metal crescendo of If These Trees Could Talk. "Alagoas" runs a course similar to TWDY on "Young Mountain", and then ending up in 65daysofstatic-esque riffing. Probably the most impressive facet of "Gifts From Enola" is the guitar-work. Often changing from standard atmospheric ambience, to post-metal inspired crunches or riffs that are quite simply frenzied. For the most part he barely sounds in place in a post-rock band, but you get the feeling that's what Gifts From Enola are striving for.

It should all work, but it doesn't always. The changes in direction are sometimes too sudden and often, seeming like they are searching for their rhythm rather than letting it find them; it sometimes seems that perhaps they are trying too hard to combine different elements that don't usually go hand-in-hand. However, through this they also craft the odd song that borderlines brilliance. When they get it right they draw you in and don't let go, but there are others that blast right past without reaching that all-important "wow" moment. A highly challenging listen to say the least.

Download: Lionized, Alagoas
For The Fans of: And So I Watch You From Afar, If These Trees Could Talk, pg.lost, This Will Destroy You
Listen: Myspace

Release Date 13.07.2010
The Mylene Sheath

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