The Great Detachment

Description

Two years in the making, the album marks a return to the organic approach of the bands earlier works that simultaneously sees them reaching new pinnacles of songwriting and production. The 11-song collection was recorded at Halifaxs Sonic Temple (the birthplace of Welcome To The Night Sky and its preceding 2003 self-titled and 2005 untitled efforts) with producer Tony Doogan (Belle & Sebastian, Mogwai). The band recorded the majority of The Great Detachment live-off-the-floor, adding an organic and transparent aural aesthetic to the collection. Its a very different energy, vocalist/guitarist Paul Murphy opines, and one that we kind of missed. Tracks like Amerika and Freak Out are propulsive rockers, showcasing crashing guitars and clever hooks ripe with the raw emotion of earlier hits like Oblivion and Black Camera. Conversely, Metropolis dances into darker territory, slightly more subdued to push focus towards the beautifully layered vocals while Shadowless reaches the furthest end of the spectrum, wrapping the listener in a warm sonic blanket of ambience and slow-building catharsis. The album is very much an introspective work, both conceptually and thematically. It delivers a welcome dose of the atmospheric, entrancing alt-rock for which the band has become known, with beautifully orchestrated arrangements anchored by haunting, almost hypnotic vocal melodies. The energy and urgency inherent in these songs makes them well-suited to the stage, adding more ammo to a captivating live show thats already earned these JUNO winners tours of several continents; stages shared with Pearl Jam, Broken Social Scene, and The Hold Steady; a performance on Late Night with David Letterman, and an opening slot for Sir Paul McCartney