Well my friends, it is time for us to sail for a new musical journey. The verb "to sail" has not been chosen randomly: if you close your eyes at any point during the listening of this album, the music will transport you in front of the vastity of the ocean, which is constantly evoked through the atmospheric pads, the delicate arpeggios, and the massive distorted chords.
The sea has many faces: placid and inviting in a hot summer day, grey and mysterious when reflecting the winter's cloudy sky, ferocious and powerful when shaken by the storm. This album mirrors all these aspects, alternating relaxing acoustic guitars and gritty drones, nostalgic harmonies and sharp dissonances. Very often, these clashing souls are present at the same time in a song, with numerous layers reflecting different moods combined together, and the result of this sonic lasagna is often better than the sum of the individual parts.
The vocals have left me a bit baffled in the beginning, because of the contrast between their warm timbre and their raw character, but bit by bit they grew on me and their imperfections become an essential piece in this complex jigsaw puzzle.
The production is well curated, the tones of the instruments are cutting through the mix but also reinforcing each other, and the various effects add touches of colour to this already trippy experience.
I haven't done a track-by-track because I have experienced this album as an organic experience in its entirety, but I want to mention the last track, "Easy Merging". I think it's a perfect closing song, where the listener can finally sit down on the shore and contemplate the calm waters after witnessing the dark side of the sea. Very rewarding experience.