Album Title: Four Months of Darkness
Album Artist: Saxon Shore
1. Four Months of Darkness (6:48)
2. Amber, Ember, Glow (2:29)
3. Our Mountain Pass, A Winding Trench (8:32)
4. Secret Fire, Binding Light (5:36)
5. Side By Side In This Gentle Descent (7:54)
The Short and Sweet Review:
This album sounds like the instrumental equivalent to a hopeful ray of light after Four Months of Darkness, if that makes sense. I don’t recommend this album if you’re in an impatient mood, but if you feel like slowing down for a half hour, like taking a breath and relaxing to some very laid back, beautiful music that isn’t pretentious, cluttered, or busy, than Saxon Shore’s “Four Months of Darkness” is for you.
Final Verdict:
5 out of 5.
Highly recommended.
The Long Winded Review:
Despite this album's title, "Four Months of Darkness," this is one of the most gorgeous albums I've heard in a long while. This laid back instrumental record takes its sweet time to unfold, but boy, is that time sweet. I'll admit, it may be too slow for active listening, but it's a great album to unwind to, and its repetitive (but not overly so) nature makes it a great album to play in the background while contemplating, reading, or doing whatever it is you like to do to slow down (Personally, I listen to this album nearly every other night. It seriously helps me unwind).
The first sounds you'll hear as this album begins are a wavering hum, a steady clank, and soon, a tired, droning accordion. I've never heard the accordion played the way it is here before - slowly, almost painstakingly so. As it slowly establishes a melody, the drums ease in, and we're well into the album's title track, Four Months of Darkness. After a crescendo and a long, easy fade, the track tops out at 6:48.
Amber, Ember, Glow is the next track, and easily the most upbeat track on the album. It's a very layered track, complete with cheery chimes and tambourine. Even though his track abruptly ends after only 2:29, it's charmed me.
The next song, Our Mountain Pass, A Winding Trench clearly has a mouthful of a name, and a track length to go with it—8:32. It’s a very dynamic song, always leaning toward the quiet, a pattern true to the whole album. The best part of this song is actually tastefully tacked onto the end—about two and a half minutes of the song’s playing time comes from a simple acoustic guitar interlude. Not expertly played, but beautifully played. Highlight of the album.
The last two songs, Secret Fire, Binding Light and Side By Side In This Gentle Descent don’t introduce anything really new, but are just as pretty as the rest of the album. Side By Side... does drone for a just a tad too long at the end, but after listening to it as many times as I have I’ve come to overlook that, even appreciate it.
Like the lighthouse on the cover suggests, there is light in the midst of the darkness, and this album sure sounds like that hope to my ears.
Links:
Saxon Shore
Saxon Shore on Myspace
Saxon Shore's label, Burnt Toast Vinyl
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