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Post-hardcore and Post-rock: what¢s next?
On their debut album “The Body and the Soil” (2005) Ira made a point of steering clear of stereotypical musical dress codes.
Their sophomore release “Visions of a Landscape” (2009) then saw them discarding their wall-of-sound fetish. With more melodious arrangements and a remarkable vocal presence, the band pulled off a mesmerizing symbiosis of psychedelic space pop and heavy rock.
Their new effort “These Are the Arms“ now proves a flawless hat-trick. Dynamic and fragile, the music echoes the rumble and the noise infatuation of their musical ancestors. Think Neurosis playing Van Pelt songs on Prozac; or Monochrome covering A Perfect Circle. What once was unrelenting aggression now yields to more subtle melodicism.
Instead of resorting to yell them, the spoken word artist-turned-vocalist Tobias Hoffmann has the finesse to deliver his poetic lyrics without grandstanding, yet with a lot more emphasis.
Conclusion: On a superficial level you may label the songs on Ira¢s third release as indie rock with a pop appeal – if surprisingly subtle and profound, moody and noisy. Or you can call them “hard pop.” But maybe you¢d be best advised not to label them at all.
The 10″ is housed in a super-heavy sleeve – just the tasty XL-upgrade featuring heavy vinyl and a download code for your iPod pleasure. 300 copies in limited on pure & plain black vinyl. GOLDEN ANTENNA label
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