Joy Wants Eternity - The Fog Is Rising (Album Review)
Tuesday, 21 August 2012
Written by Jonathan Lin
Hailing from Seattle, Washington, JWE is a five-piece band that has been active since 2005. 'The Fog Is Rising' is their second full album release after five years of silence, and their instrumental post-rock highly reminiscent of Explosions In The Sky and Mogwai has earned them loyal listeners. The album starts strong with the energetic 'Our Backs Into The Wind' and doesn't need to work hard to put a smile on one's face; the equally hopeful tone of the title track that follows does a similar thing, making these two tracks good, if slightly generic, openers.
One thing that does stand out with JWE is their attention to atmosphere and delicate control of the volume and intensity. These days it isn't enough to succeed in post-rock by starting songs quietly and gradually building up to a climax somewhere around the eight-minute mark before letting supercharged earbuds and speakers cool down in a three-minute denouement. 'Dark Heart of the King', the second longest track on the album, does this very well; the drums kick in early and set a healthy rhythm for the steady echo-laden backbone of the song, and instead of predictably building up to an ear-shattering peak, actually hold back here and there, offering a couple of moments that are the calm before the storm. The intensity that then follows is amplified considerably, adding significantly to the track's power and enjoyment. A similar effect takes hold of the album's longest track 'Shut Your Eyes And You'll Burst Into Flames'; its first half is quiet, measured, yet engaging, and when it reaches the half-way mark the drums abruptly end while the guitars continue going, clearly marking where the song is about to go. This half-minute of advance preparation doesn't at all diminish the impact of the track's grand culmination of sound, and even in the winding down that meaningfully takes up an entire two and a half minutes, it's your tired yet satisfied ears that are impressed the most.
JWE aren't just talented at using the typical post-rock methods of distortion and echoed layering to manipulate the soundwaves. 'I Am I: Hiding' features the well-controlled dialing of high-pitched amplifier feedback to further emphasize the song's soft guitar notes, and again the band's use of atmospherics really shines on this track too. A good combination of ringing cymbals and occasional drum beats, while the rich reverb creates the pleasant feeling of underwater submergence - and an unquestionable sense of calm and freedom.
The album's conclusion 'In Camera' is the most unlike all the rest, given its short length and solo keyboard characteristics make it more of an outro. Nonetheless it is a good ending to 'The Fog Is Rising', where listeners are greeted with a gentle cadence as they reflect back on what stories the album just finished telling, including well-needed adjustment after the monstrous 'SYEAYBIF' stand-out track. All six tracks constitute a very promising package for a band's second effort, and it is unsurprising then to see why Joy Wants Eternity has garnered such positive listeners with their limited, but whole-hearted creations.
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One thing that does stand out with JWE is their attention to atmosphere and delicate control of the volume and intensity. These days it isn't enough to succeed in post-rock by starting songs quietly and gradually building up to a climax somewhere around the eight-minute mark before letting supercharged earbuds and speakers cool down in a three-minute denouement. 'Dark Heart of the King', the second longest track on the album, does this very well; the drums kick in early and set a healthy rhythm for the steady echo-laden backbone of the song, and instead of predictably building up to an ear-shattering peak, actually hold back here and there, offering a couple of moments that are the calm before the storm. The intensity that then follows is amplified considerably, adding significantly to the track's power and enjoyment. A similar effect takes hold of the album's longest track 'Shut Your Eyes And You'll Burst Into Flames'; its first half is quiet, measured, yet engaging, and when it reaches the half-way mark the drums abruptly end while the guitars continue going, clearly marking where the song is about to go. This half-minute of advance preparation doesn't at all diminish the impact of the track's grand culmination of sound, and even in the winding down that meaningfully takes up an entire two and a half minutes, it's your tired yet satisfied ears that are impressed the most.
