Robot Orchestra

Robot Orchestr3

Written by: MN on 27/12/2014 20:57:40

Atmosphere and attention to intricacies all serve paramount importance in order to understand Robot Orchestra, a band that I came across while browsing for some new post-rock to mediate the winter blues devouring us presently. The French trio hail from La Rochelle of the bay of Biscay and have released three records, the third one in question, "Robot Orchestr3" (a play on the french word for three, trois), is a record that takes a lot of time to digest. It took me a surprisingly long time to form an opinion regarding this work and after countless spins I have come to the verdict that where "Robot Orchestr3" shines, it is magnificent, but its inconsistencies also means it quickly loses its elevation. The album contains 7 tracks of varying satisfaction, but unfortunately I can only handpick 3 songs which really set the bar high, where instrumentation speaks a language of its own, but in the area of post-rock, I expect consistency like the ways in which a novel can grip your eyeballs uninterrupted throughout its entirety.

"Invisible Smoke" hints at a neurosis-type of slow-winded melancholia that is riveting, especially by the onset of the quivering violins, courtesy of Johan Gardré, the man behind the strings and keys. "Crossroads" is a sudden moodchanger as the keys and guitar melody turns from morose to hopeful, reminiscent of the works of God Is An Astronaut. First slip in quality is in the somewhat subpar effort "Gasoline" which would easily be forgotten were it not for some solid and complex drumming. In the same vein, somewhat heavy "Sunday Hangover" also drops the overall impression, the vocals are mediocre at best and my attention slowly drifts away. "So Many Battles" is a spoken-word track that is fuelled by some ultra tight string section, the details in this work is immaculate and raises the records relevance again. Songs like "Pendule" are atmospheric and the interplay between the classic guitars and violin makes for a reflective listen, also is an apt lead in to the records denouement "Edifices" where the heaviness returns with full force to accompany the theatrics and eerie sounds that shape Robot Orchestra's soundscape. A brilliant finish to a record that unfortunately contains far too little brilliant parts to be memorable.

Fans of Neurosis, Doyle Airence and Alcest will find this to be likeable at times, but I just feel that it lacks the same potency in its entirety as other records in the same genre, I doubt I will be returning to it anytime soon.

Download: Edifice, Invisible Smoke, Crossroads
For The Fans Of: Alcest, P.g Lost, ef
Listen: facebook.com

Release date 25.01.2014
self-Released

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