God Is An Astronaut - All Is Violent, All Is Bright
God Is An Astronaut - All Is Violent, All Is Bright
Genre: Post-Rock
If euphoria would be defined by using music, the music of God Is An Astronaut would make a perfect candidate for the definition. If aging would be defined by using music, God Is An Astronaut would define it. Aging and the Irish post-rock group both make you feel absent-minded, exhausted inside your head. They make you feel like you need to rest your tired body, relax your troubled mind and let your soul float through all eternity. Yet, aging doesn't necessarily give you any pleasure nor a heart filled with calmness - God Is An Astronaut does.
In the beginning, there was The End Of The Beginning (2002). All Is Bright, All Is Violent is the second creation of God Is An Astronaut (GIAA). The album is formed by a great variety of musical compilations and should not leave anyone who appreciates music cold. Their distinctive sound and the lack of distorted guitars makes separates them from the rather traditional post-rock groups, such as Mogwai. Comparing a clear, vividly flowing stream and a dirt brown colored flood stream describes how GIAA differs from other music. If God really were an astronaut, I doubt the creation of such an outstanding musical group would be possible.
No, this is the work of something divine.
1. Fragile (4:34)
In a genre where strong and attention grasping first tracks are rare, Fragile does not make an exception. Slowly proceeding into a slow drum beat and clear, high sounds, the song makes you want more. You start craving desperately for something more. "Can the whole album be like this?"
That is until a bit halfway through, the music builds up and makes gentle love to the ears of every human being. Fragile, is perhaps, not the best choice of name for this song. There are no fractures in it, nothing seems to be crumbling down. It seems almost unbreakable. A solid piece of art, the art of sounds.
8.5/10
2. All Is Bright, All Is Violent (4:14)
The hopes are always high for the album title song. You always expect it to be the cornerstone of the album; the one that gives the backbone to everything. Yet, seldom this is true.
Clearly different from the previous track, even though both built up quite slowly. This track is a man who has lost everything. All is melancholy, yet there is a distant light at the end of the dark tunnel. The last minute of All Is Bright, All Is Violent shows us that light. The music is intense and your heart is almost skipping beats. Despite the reach the man made for the end of the tunnel, he failed. A calm ending brings him back to the ground, violently as if he should have left.
9/10
3. Forever Lost (6:22)
Experiencing something religious is possible only through music, in my opinion. Forever Lost makes you feel like exploring your mind in peace. Sitting in a corner with your eyelids resting. The calm progress the song makes into to the depths of your thoughts is almost intimidating. Are you lost inside your own head, perhaps?
Something has left your body - all agony and misery are gone now. Replaced by a feeling that makes you want to sleep for days and dream of something beautiful.
The combination of keyboards and guitars is nothing new to making music but the way God Is An Astronaut does that combination is something out of this world.
10/10
4. Fire Flies And Empty Skies (3:55)
Such an amazing piece of music, yet too short to be fully enjoyed. When the song ends you get the same feeling as when accidentally biting a lollipop. The taste was incredible but you couldn't resist stopping it earlier than you wanted to.
A fast-paced post-rock song is always something to look forward to and the fourth track of All Is Bright, All Is Violent is what you should be looking for. Power; a clear, almost visible sound; divisions of different music.
The structure of this song is so intricate that you're afraid of breaking it if you listen to it too much. Unfortunately, once you've started, you can't stop.
10/10
5. A Deafening Distance (3:49)
The album brings us to the ground again. We fall down from the empty skies, which we were flying through and we go straight through the earth. We can rest now, without any disturbance. The previous world can be forgotten and it's possible to be safely lost inside our heads again.
A slow tempo, and none of the power from the previous song left to make your mind race. The song builds up after halfway again, which has already been done twice before. Does the album build up after halfway also or will the repetitiveness begin at this point?
7.5/10
6. Infinite Horizons (2:28)
A fairly short track - something that is moderately rare in post-rock. Usually the lack of length means that something is added elsewhere. In this case, silence got the addition. This is something you listen to when trying to sleep, or when sleeping. The song doesn't take a direction upwards, but stays firmly on the ground. Relaxation is possible once again and the doubts of repetition seem to be erased.
8/10
7. Suicide By Star (4:38)
The beginning of the song creates an anticipating feeling. You don't know what to expect and it makes you anxious even. The guitars start blending beautifully into other sounds, yet they remain as themselves - easy to distinguish. Voices, such as there were also in the previous songs, can be heard again.
The song bursts into life during the last minute. All doors have been opened and the sounds are coming from every direction. Fast-paced drum beat captures your ears and the finale of the song makes you certain that it was worth waiting for.
9/10
8. Remembrance Day (4:16)
A remake of Remembrance on The End Of The Beginning. The difference between the two songs is quite marginal but if you haven't heard Remembrance before this is your chance.
The song tells a tale of a loss. War victims failed to be saved. The sorrow can be felt as if the deceased would want us to feel it through this song.
A song full of respect and honor.
8.5/10
9. Dust And Echoes (4:13)
The end is getting near and what's left of you is only dust. What's left of the voices in your head is only an echo climbing up the walls of an empty room. Preparation for the ending is always necessary and Dust And Echoes manages to grab the listener's attention like it was the only choice. Powerful emotions are awaken and the dust is now in the form of clenched fist, ready to be risen. The voices become more than just echoes, they are your thoughts again. The song recovers you instead of turning into just dust and echoes.
8/10
10. When Everything Dies (10:00)
Death seems to be the strongest theme of the album. Suicide, loss, violence, remembrance, dust. It all hints that everything will eventually die out. The final piece of All is Bright, All Is Violent shows how music, too, dies.
The fastening keyboard and occasional powerful drum beats create a mortal atmosphere.This isn't the End Of The Beginning, it's the beginning of the end. Before middle point, the song makes a final try for returning to life. It fails and calmness overtakes the atmosphere. There is no escape from death anymore.
Silence.
Until, a new form of life appears. Halo Of Flies is what ends the album.
A track hidden from the impatient listeners after the period of silence.
Necessarily not worth waiting for but it gives the album a nice touch to the ending.
9.5/10
Total:
8.8/10
God Is An Astronaut - All Is Violent, All Is Bright
Genre: Post-Rock
If euphoria would be defined by using music, the music of God Is An Astronaut would make a perfect candidate for the definition. If aging would be defined by using music, God Is An Astronaut would define it. Aging and the Irish post-rock group both make you feel absent-minded, exhausted inside your head. They make you feel like you need to rest your tired body, relax your troubled mind and let your soul float through all eternity. Yet, aging doesn't necessarily give you any pleasure nor a heart filled with calmness - God Is An Astronaut does.
In the beginning, there was The End Of The Beginning (2002). All Is Bright, All Is Violent is the second creation of God Is An Astronaut (GIAA). The album is formed by a great variety of musical compilations and should not leave anyone who appreciates music cold. Their distinctive sound and the lack of distorted guitars makes separates them from the rather traditional post-rock groups, such as Mogwai. Comparing a clear, vividly flowing stream and a dirt brown colored flood stream describes how GIAA differs from other music. If God really were an astronaut, I doubt the creation of such an outstanding musical group would be possible.
No, this is the work of something divine.
1. Fragile (4:34)
In a genre where strong and attention grasping first tracks are rare, Fragile does not make an exception. Slowly proceeding into a slow drum beat and clear, high sounds, the song makes you want more. You start craving desperately for something more. "Can the whole album be like this?"
That is until a bit halfway through, the music builds up and makes gentle love to the ears of every human being. Fragile, is perhaps, not the best choice of name for this song. There are no fractures in it, nothing seems to be crumbling down. It seems almost unbreakable. A solid piece of art, the art of sounds.
8.5/10
2. All Is Bright, All Is Violent (4:14)
The hopes are always high for the album title song. You always expect it to be the cornerstone of the album; the one that gives the backbone to everything. Yet, seldom this is true.
Clearly different from the previous track, even though both built up quite slowly. This track is a man who has lost everything. All is melancholy, yet there is a distant light at the end of the dark tunnel. The last minute of All Is Bright, All Is Violent shows us that light. The music is intense and your heart is almost skipping beats. Despite the reach the man made for the end of the tunnel, he failed. A calm ending brings him back to the ground, violently as if he should have left.
9/10
3. Forever Lost (6:22)
Experiencing something religious is possible only through music, in my opinion. Forever Lost makes you feel like exploring your mind in peace. Sitting in a corner with your eyelids resting. The calm progress the song makes into to the depths of your thoughts is almost intimidating. Are you lost inside your own head, perhaps?
Something has left your body - all agony and misery are gone now. Replaced by a feeling that makes you want to sleep for days and dream of something beautiful.
The combination of keyboards and guitars is nothing new to making music but the way God Is An Astronaut does that combination is something out of this world.
10/10
4. Fire Flies And Empty Skies (3:55)
Such an amazing piece of music, yet too short to be fully enjoyed. When the song ends you get the same feeling as when accidentally biting a lollipop. The taste was incredible but you couldn't resist stopping it earlier than you wanted to.
A fast-paced post-rock song is always something to look forward to and the fourth track of All Is Bright, All Is Violent is what you should be looking for. Power; a clear, almost visible sound; divisions of different music.
The structure of this song is so intricate that you're afraid of breaking it if you listen to it too much. Unfortunately, once you've started, you can't stop.
10/10
5. A Deafening Distance (3:49)
The album brings us to the ground again. We fall down from the empty skies, which we were flying through and we go straight through the earth. We can rest now, without any disturbance. The previous world can be forgotten and it's possible to be safely lost inside our heads again.
A slow tempo, and none of the power from the previous song left to make your mind race. The song builds up after halfway again, which has already been done twice before. Does the album build up after halfway also or will the repetitiveness begin at this point?
7.5/10
6. Infinite Horizons (2:28)
A fairly short track - something that is moderately rare in post-rock. Usually the lack of length means that something is added elsewhere. In this case, silence got the addition. This is something you listen to when trying to sleep, or when sleeping. The song doesn't take a direction upwards, but stays firmly on the ground. Relaxation is possible once again and the doubts of repetition seem to be erased.
8/10
7. Suicide By Star (4:38)
The beginning of the song creates an anticipating feeling. You don't know what to expect and it makes you anxious even. The guitars start blending beautifully into other sounds, yet they remain as themselves - easy to distinguish. Voices, such as there were also in the previous songs, can be heard again.
The song bursts into life during the last minute. All doors have been opened and the sounds are coming from every direction. Fast-paced drum beat captures your ears and the finale of the song makes you certain that it was worth waiting for.
9/10
8. Remembrance Day (4:16)
A remake of Remembrance on The End Of The Beginning. The difference between the two songs is quite marginal but if you haven't heard Remembrance before this is your chance.
The song tells a tale of a loss. War victims failed to be saved. The sorrow can be felt as if the deceased would want us to feel it through this song.
A song full of respect and honor.
8.5/10
9. Dust And Echoes (4:13)
The end is getting near and what's left of you is only dust. What's left of the voices in your head is only an echo climbing up the walls of an empty room. Preparation for the ending is always necessary and Dust And Echoes manages to grab the listener's attention like it was the only choice. Powerful emotions are awaken and the dust is now in the form of clenched fist, ready to be risen. The voices become more than just echoes, they are your thoughts again. The song recovers you instead of turning into just dust and echoes.
8/10
10. When Everything Dies (10:00)
Death seems to be the strongest theme of the album. Suicide, loss, violence, remembrance, dust. It all hints that everything will eventually die out. The final piece of All is Bright, All Is Violent shows how music, too, dies.
The fastening keyboard and occasional powerful drum beats create a mortal atmosphere.This isn't the End Of The Beginning, it's the beginning of the end. Before middle point, the song makes a final try for returning to life. It fails and calmness overtakes the atmosphere. There is no escape from death anymore.
Silence.
Until, a new form of life appears. Halo Of Flies is what ends the album.
A track hidden from the impatient listeners after the period of silence.
Necessarily not worth waiting for but it gives the album a nice touch to the ending.
9.5/10
Total:
8.8/10
