When searching for tunes that evoke floating sensations or prompt existential reflection, look no further than Hammock's sixth full-length, ‘Oblivion Hymns’.
This record is a sonic experience to leave a listener gasping for breath. Don’t be misled by its low tempo and quiet beginnings, this album's dynamism comes from its volume, depth, contrasts and instrumental range.
‘Oblivion Hymns’ trades in oppositions. It confronts sorrow and joy, destruction and restoration. Nowhere is this more evident than on I Could Hear The Water At The Edge of All Things. The song’s devastating opening chords convey a stark oblivion, before painting a new picture via a sonorous arc of restorative brass and strings.
It's a sensual experience and the vocals both caress and pierce. A similar feeling accompanies Holding Your Absence - a soundtrack for stargazing, for sorrow and for salvation all at once.
The electric guitars of Marc Byrd and Andrew Thompson take something of a back seat on ‘Oblivion Hymns’, but, despite the seamless coordination of other instruments, it’s exciting to still see tracks emphasising the watery chord progressions that define the band.
Turning Into Tiny Particles... features layers of chords that are complemented by the ascending call of strings and the two bonus tracks - Sleep and Cathedral - are real treats too in this respect, harking back to the band’s debut, ‘Kenotic’.
Dear listener: abandon any notions of isolating the divine from the devastating, for ‘Oblivion Hymns’ is capable of both obliterating and rebuilding in a comprehensive, epic sweep.
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