Reviews of ‘Colors In Stereo’
AbsolutePunk.net 94%
“While it’s no challenge to find post-rock, finding some that truly sticks out can be a bit more daunting. Enter Boras, Sweden’s Moonlit Sailor. Their sound can easily be characterized as cinematic, shifting effortlessly from subdued, twinkling guitar lines to grandiose waves of distortion, driven home by the band’s expertly interwoven drum and bass backbone. And while these traits are by no means exclusive to the band, they implement them in such a way that leaves many of their instrumental contemporaries paling in comparison. The album opens with Kodac Moment, a song that encapsulates everything that makes Moonlit Sailor great in a single three-minute, thirty-four-second track. Beginning on a relaxing, almost hypnotic note, the song gradually builds until exploding into a fist-pumping rush of excitement. The band fires on all four cylinders, their musical prowess on full display. The following tracks run the emotional gamut, leaving the listener feeling relaxed, excited, sad, happy, contemplative – the whole nine yards. Their music is a prime example of just how effective instrumental music can be; devoid of all vocal and lyrical interruption, the music alone speaks for itself, and it speaks volumes. It’s abundantly clear that the band pours every ounce of themselves into what they do, channeling every facet of human existence into their art. It’s not uncommon for someone to find themselves feeling rather introspective while listening to their music. Indeed, it’s the kind made for cool nights sitting on the porch, gazing thoughtfully into the stars. It’s exactly what these songs sound like: a moment of personal clarity occupied by no one but yourself and the music, and the dawning realization that for all the ups and downs, life is pretty great. The album is another welcome addition to Moonlit Sailor’s young, but captivating, catalog of post-rock bliss. Here’s hoping that Colors in Stereo helps this band attain the kind of recognition they’ve deserved since they released their debut EP, A Footprint of Feeling, in 2007. If anything can propel them to post-rock stardom, it’s Colors in Stereo.”
“The Swedish foursome Moonlit Sailor offers ten otherworldly post-rock epics on Colors In Stereo, an album that convincingly shows that instrumental music can be every bit as engaging, if not more so, than traditional rock. For those unfamiliar with Moonlit Sailor and post-rock in general, the genre is one that encompasses a wide range of sounds, but can be likened to an instrumental soundtrack to your life, because the skillful craftsmanship and technical songwriting — no predictable song structures here — elicits a range of emotions as diverse and colorful as a sunset coinciding with aurora borealis. Colors In Stereo begins unassumingly enough, with the restrained acoustic guitar picking of Kodac Moment, which offers a rustic, minimalist feel that makes the latter half of the track — a soaring, joyous affair complete with piano, melodic riffing and heavy acoustic strums — all the more surprising and rewarding. The second track, Colors In Stereo’, begins to show its teeth a bit earlier and explodes into a glorious rock journey before the one-minute mark hits. Bassist Mark Rundolf said of the title, ‘It reminds us of the futureÉvery positive and joyful.’ Those sentiments are relayed perfectly here, as the song picks up momentum and rocks the entire way, with plenty of musical power to take you up and beyond your cubicle and into a brighter, happier future. The following song, May Day, is the longest on Colors In Stereo and is perhaps the finest; it unfolds like a true narrative, moving from emotion to emotion as the electric and acoustic guitars weave in and out of one another, propelled forward by tight snare drumming. The track drops into a brief, somber interlude before moving into an edgier, distortion-driven section that brings May Day to its epic end. To accurately describe Colors In Stereo would be impossible, as this is the kind of music — the pinnacle of post-rock — that elicits different emotions from every listener. Moonlit Sailor seems to journey into your memories, translating a sensory playground into sounds that make you wonder where this band has been your entire life. The answer: Sweden. Each of the songs on Colors In Stereo has a different feel but the same undeniable quality; Summer Solstice offers lilting melodies for the majority of the track until the distortion drops in to alter the mood and change the direction of the song, while Freeze Frame Vision at first offers a jangly, Being There-era Wilco riff before cascading waves of melody and harder strumming enter. Colors In Stereo may seem to be an odd name, but itÕs the perfect moniker for an album that seems to do the impossible — putting everything that is vivid, mysterious and glorious about the world around you into sonic form. Your ears have never been treated this well, and each end-to-end listen (because once you hit play, itÕs impossible to hit stop) will elicit a broad range of memories and emotions.”
“It’s really hard not to find something to love on any Moonlit Sailor album, whether you be an indie snob, a post-rock junkie, or just plain appreciative of oratory arts. The new record, Colors In Stereo, is hardly different. The sound the band creates on this album is very much a hearkening back to their indie rock roots, even more so than on So Close To Life; though, at the same time, the band strengthens the post-rock side of their sound with a powerfully-renewed vitality, with more energy and emotion poured into each song, resulting in something remarkable. The opening tune on the record, ‘Kodac Moment’, begins reminiscent of The Album Leaf’s record In A Safe Place, with clean, reminiscing electric guitar over an acoustic, reverberating away, gently. Further on in, the acoustic begins to pick up, and as Adam Tornblad begins to beat on his cymbals with a positive spirit in the buildup. The band then lapses into some Explosions in the Sky riffing, with the energy level in the moment just soaring in the stratosphere, creating a wondrous moment that hung in the air minutes after it faded. Absolutely stunning. The eighth song, ‘Weekday Escape’, begins with a lone, yearning electric guitar, playing some plaintive chords, almost longing for something more. Thirty seconds in, the bass drum pounds away, a heavier electric starts jamming, and the tempo picks up, creating a sheer force behind that’s almost intoxicating with power, sweeping the listener away. As the song tones down, a more ruminative bridge picks up, as the beginning electric gently weeps sorrowful melodies with all the reverb anyone could ever want. In ascension to the last hoorah of the song, Tornblad begins to slam away at that poor, abused snare drum as Oscar Gullbrandsen and Joakim Wiik sing soulful harmonies to each other on their guitars. Finally, the powerful lick repeats for the last time, and it fades away on a sweetly bitter minor chord. This is a truly fantastic album. From start to finish, it leaked auditory aesthetics in the same fashion as any solid Sigur Ros or Mogwai album, easily. However, it also contained the energy comparable to a Broken Social Scene or Explosions in the Sky album, which makes a listen that much more amazing. Despite being a fairly-new band in post-rock, Moonlit Sailor has a very clear idea of the message they want to send, and accomplish something beautiful with unerring skill.”
“Swedish post-rockers Moonlit Sailor’s last album So Close to Life was genius. I love the black touch with all my heart and must have listened through it probably 500 times. My personal music whistleblower emailed me earlier today to let me know that Moonlit Sailor has released a new album. After listening to the title track in about 12 seconds, I clicked on Buy. Colors in Stereo sounds great. I’ve only just through it once. But gillar’t. Sharp. Together with the British band Last Lungs (also on Deep Elm), these Swedes are my post-rock favorites. Do what I did…buy their new album via iTunes. Real (proper) Swedish music is becoming a scarce commodity. Moonlit Sailor is something to be proud of.”
Reviews of ‘So Close To Life’
rockfreaks.net (9/10)
“Everything about MOONLIT SAILOR’s “So Close To Life” is beauty; the album artwork seems to have been painted by the music itself as it’s the perfect backdrop for songs like “Hope” and “Sunbeams”, which have a natural elegance and picturesqueness to them. Maybe mother nature actually gave birth to “Fresh Snow”, and Adam, Markus, Oscar and Joakim found it, deciding to pass it off as their own art? They call Boras, Sweden home, where “they often experience weeks without sunlight”. Which begs the question: how on earth have they created an album so beautiful, and so pure that it sounds like sunlight in such an environment? They are very guitar-driven with he rest of the instruments providing solid support to allow the guitars to roam free, crafting intricate soundscapes that can grow and culminate before seamlessly drifting to a soft, ethereal lull. Perhaps the finest example of this is the pertinently named “A Week Without Sunlight”, which features not only fine soaring guitar-work, but an acoustic bridge before rising to that sweeping crescendo. “So Close To Life” is undeniably assured for a debut, and utterly breathtaking. They are on a mission to perfect post-rock, and they have the potential to do just that. They combine the euphoric feeling Sigur Ros induce with all the dynamical awe of This Will Destroy You. “So Close To Life” enkindles a sort of excitement that will render you absolutely numb.”
“Moonlit Sailor is one of my favourite scando-post rock bands since Jeniferever first arrived. There’s something soothingly familiar about the new album from the Swedish boys (out on Deep Elm, a sure sign of quality) as the cyclical waves of chiming guitars and glocks act as a trademark across the album, the subtle variations and reprises throughout come off like a well planned orchestral maneuvere…lulling and roaring in equal measure and impacting the sheer emotional weight of the music over and over again. Instrumental rock is not particularly easy to pull off, but these nine tracks of sheer, lump in your throat, devastating beauty are more than enough to pull you in and cast you asunder over the waves of delayed guitars and booming reverb. Beautiful.”
“This album is an absolute must for all lovers of post-rock, especially those who like crescendos, tension and epic moments. Moonlit Sailor loves that stuff, and they give it to their listeners in spades. “Hope,” “1994″ and “Landvetter” are simply some of the best tunes I’ve ever heard in the genre. Highly recommended.”
thecannyshark.blogspot.com (10/10)
“I am so impressed by the stunning beauty of each individual composition (not going to call them songs here) that trying to differentiate between a crescendo and decrescendo within the framework of a given piece is a task more akin to a poet or wordsmith. Suffice it to say, Moonlit Sailor has taken post-rock to a captivating, beautiful level. Do yourself a big favor and get your hands on this.”
Reviews of ‘A Footprint Of Feelings’
TheSilentBallet.com (7.5/10)
“Instead of cheap tricks, they’ve simply utilized bombastic drumwork and the prettiest guitars to craft one of 2008′s most captivating, engaging releases. As an LP, it is on the short side at 27 minutes But if at the end of the disc I’m left wanting more, then how can I characterize this album as anything but a success? I don’t think I can A Footprint Of Feelings is a success. This is music that makes me feel. And for me, that’s plenty.”
Music.se (4/5)
“When you are listening to similar instrumental bands you are often waiting for the vocals to fade in, you don’t with Moonlit Sailor. This is because the guitar parts are weaving the songs together with a tremendous clear and shimering sound that is very interesting to listening to.”
Tollbooth.org (9.5/10)
“Non-assuming in nature, there are patterns of swelling and subsiding, like an ocean wave are pounded out in this modern rock masterpiece.
This may sound to my wife as constant noise going nowhere, but I personally get it. With songs like the title, “Night Stroll” and “Waterfall”, it compares easily to the crescendo and decrescendo of a classical orchestral suite. The rising and falling is what can easily draw the listener in, Regrettably, much of the post-rock genre will not catch on in any vein of the mainstream or the “alternative rock” mainstream. .. This is a good thing for those fans that want to keep this stuff to themselves, but a larger audience is missing out on something beautiful in this music without words. I just wish this were longer “
