ALBUM REVIEW: In Irons – Orsak:Oslo
The inspiration behind In Irons, as with all of ORSAK:OSLO’s music, is the “monotony and melancholy of the darkness that the Nordic winter brings” – a Rorschach test if ever there was one. It’s either a promise of transcendent soundscapes or a threat of plodding boredom, depending on where you sit.
Across five tracks, the band play with the tension associated with that monotony and melancholia. 078 The Mute (Part II) is a SUNN O)))-like dirge, slamming the brakes halfway through a suite of songs otherwise propelled by post-rock’s trademark layering of guitars. It’s followed by the 17-minute closer, 074 Hadal Blue, which glides gracefully into a gentle landing with little turbulence along the way. Grounded by a repeating bassline, there is an enveloping sense of safety as the track makes its epic journey with grace, never teetering towards any sense of calamity. Conventions of the genre are up-ended here in the record’s latter half; there is no euphoric release from the pent up tension, no SIGUR RÓS or CULT OF LUNA crescendo. Yet this closing hypnotic couple satisfy by translating the band’s inspirations into something musically as impressionistic. There is nothing on the horizon, just a never-ending desert of snow and pine trees.
Released ahead of In Irons, the band describe centrepiece 069 In What Way Are You Different as an introspective song. While not inaccurate, the same could be said for every track here. More familiar and conventional than what follows, this show-stopper sees the band wanting to capture everything from “tiny rays of optimism to an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness and despair”. Despite a spoken-word sample, the nature of instrumental post-rock means it is over to the listener to ascribe meaning to the sounds they hear. The groove at the heart of this track, accompanied by instinctual percussion, makes it more human than the glacial pieces that come next. While conveying the torment the band wish to capture, that the song sounds like ORSAK:OSLO jamming adds some humanity and warmth that keeps it from hitting the murkiest of depths. It comes closest to the live version of the band which is even more expansive than on record, as indebted to MY BLOODY VALENTINE as it is to progressive and psychedelic rock acts.
Similarly, the light provided by 079 Dutchman’s Wake (Part I) comes from its faster pace and the feeling of the band hitting a flow. Sandwiched between two more sprawling tracks, it is easy to overlook how necessary its relative accessibility is. Its brevity only accentuates 069 In What Way Are You Different’s impact, elevating both. Opener 068 The Swell is a scene-setter, an opening credits taster reminiscent of AKIRA YAMAOKA’s music for Silent Hill and MOGWAI’s Les Revenants score.
In Irons is a record of two halves, in which both sides complement the other. The Mute’s plot twist pulls the rug out from the album’s expected trajectory, moving from something relatively straight-forward to something more provocative and, yes, transcendent, ultimately immersing listeners in this endless winter. Monotony, check, melancholy, check. But it is in its refusal to deliver the release we long for that makes In Irons stand out from the pack.
Rating: 8/10
In Irons is set for release on April 28th via Vinter Records.
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