 Coastal
"Halfway To You" CD
Words
on Music
Genres: slowcore, shoegazer, dream pop
Words on Music
715 University Avenue SE #201
Minneapolis MN
55414
Nov 29 - Dec 5 2004 |
Coastal is not the most spectacular band I've listened to, but
slowcore doesn't really lend itself to excitement. Instead,
these nine songs serve to sooth and relax the spirits, working in a
vein similar to Low (but less funereal), L'altra (but
less poppy), and Mojave 3 (but less florid). All of these
songs' melodies
are given time to float around and soak in, and every song seems
completely content to take its time and run its due course. Of course, Halfway To You's drawn-out tone means it takes
getting used to - even multiple listens aren't likely to win over
impatient audiences - but to slowcore and shoegaze fans, it will be an
absolute delight. Contained on this disc are a number
of truly great songs; the Low vs. L'altra vibes of
"Eternal" and "Halfway To You" are among the
best. A few of the tracks seem a bit expendable
("Leaves," "Night Sky"), but their consistent
pleasantness prevents them from threatening the album's wonderful
flow.
The only qualm I have with Coastal is that their music is
easy to tire of - since climaxes and pop hooks aren't exactly in
abundance, some of the less infectious songs - like
"Leaves," for example - rely too much on the atmospheres
they convey. This isn't a problem at first, but after you've
heard Halfway To You a few times, "Leaves" becomes a
bit of a patience tester. Still, there are more than enough
strong songs here to suffice; perfectionists should be warned,
however.
Halfway To You is a wonderfully gradual collection of
songs. I challenge you to find a better soundtrack to a relaxing
winter evening.
87%
Fun Fact: Halfway To You was
allegedly recorded at Makeout
City Studios. The site describes the studio as "a
production company specializing in stop-motion animation."
What's the deal?
Matt Shimmer [Vitals:
9 tracks, distributed by the
label, released 2004] |
