Goldenwest

Album Review

Finding an excellent balance between spaced out experimentation, shoegazer pop, and dense hypnotic arrangements, Oklahoma-based Ester Drang's full-length debut ties together these disparate influences in one sonically ambitious project. Of these influences, Radiohead, My Bloody Valentine, and Spiritualized are most prominent, combining to weave together jangly atmospherics, soft relaxing textures, and vast floating soundscapes. From vibrating, expansive jams that resemble a form of cosmic indie rock gamelan to dense orchestral blocks of sound, Ester Drang don't allow the pace of the album to become lost in extended instrumental passages. Most impressive are the multi-part harmonies that lend a distinctively human element to the complex structures, delivering rather impersonal escapist lyrics that match the dreamy nature of the tracks. Overall, an album that will allow you to get lost in its many moods and leave you to the exploration of your thoughts.