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thisquietarmy

Resurgence

Written by: DR on 09/08/2012 16:29:57

thisquietarmy is the moniker under which one man, Eric Quach, creates experimental guitar-based music. Drawing from genres as varied as post-rock, industrial, post-punk, shoegaze, space-rock, doom metal and electronica, thisquietarmy seeks to create 'dreamscapes' that are expansive, dark and engaging yet melodic. Does it sound ambitious? Well, that's because it's meant to, as his latest work, "Resurgence", is the result of four years of writing.

With a runtime of one hour and fourty-seven minutes - stretching over two CDs - "Resurgence" is nothing short of a bonefide epic in terms of its scale. However, while the second CD seems more like an arbitrary bonus disc than an addition to the first discs themes, this doesn't undermine the quality of the first disc as it's still one hell of a headphone album, and a spotless example of how to blend numerous different influences and styles to create a cohesive work.

After the quiet ambient lull of opening "Rebirth", the layers of guitar effects/riffs in "Revival" draw you in even further to the world that thisquietarmy creates. The song instantly starts in full, magnetic swing, seemingly beginning with its crescendo with a juxtaposition of industrious humming in the background and post-rock riffs in the foreground. Apocalpytic electronics begin to dominate the guitars as the song inches closer into the calming "Renaissance". "Mechanical Heart" is a masterfully bleak affair; rythmitic drumming like the pulsating of a heart set the foundations, as industrious doom-esque guitars grow in intensity and distortion, connecting it with "Whirring Brain", in which the sonic droning surging throughout really does make it feel like you're stuck in an artist's brain at his most conflicted moments. Surmising everything good about thisquietarmy is "Gone to the Unseen", twelve-minutes of synths, electronics, droning guitars, and changing dynamics meshing together to create a psychedelic crecendo; a fitting way to conclude this disc

By the time the second disc comes around your patience may be too severely strained, which doesn't matter too much because it seems more of a bonus disc. The first disc of "Resurgence", though, is a largely flawless combination of guitar and electronic music. An unabashed willingness to draw from such a wide array of influences and make them work uniquely together makes the first disc of "Resurgence" such a rewarding listen. Far from being another 'good job' album easily attributeable to a specific genre, it's a work that transcends pigeon-holes.

Download: Revival, Gone to the Unseen, Mechanical Heart
For The Fans of: Mogwai, Collapse Under The Empire, Aun, Destroy All Dreamers
Listen: Bandcamp

Release Date 28.11.2011
Denovali Records