Mouth of the Architect/Kenoma split CD

This split CD between Mouth of the Architect and Kenoma (from Translation Loss) has been sitting here for far too long now, and I guess I just kept forgetting to get around to it. Well, when I finally did toss it in, I was pretty damn stunned by the lush, shimmery melodies that opened Mouth of the Architect's single 17-minute contribution—creating an intense build into forceful yet controlled heaviness that never abandons that sense of spacious dynamics or melody, even when the rare vocal appearances are introduced. I have to point out that there is an element of that whole "Explosions in the Sky factor" here that has become so popular as of late, but seeing as there's also that whole plodding, sinister sense of Neurosis-esque atmosphere in place to counterbalance that, the end result achieves an interesting middleground and does amount to one hell of a powerful composition. Now I'm even more curious to hear the band's latest record!

Kenoma follows with two lengthy instrumental tracks that display their own take on bouncing around between slow-paced clean passages and pulsing distorted chords with a great sense of melodic dissonance that reminds me a bit of Engine Kid at times. The recording on these two tunes lacks a bit of the density that Mouth of the Architect had in place, so I find myself wanting to feel a more significant punch from the rhythm section as well as the distorted guitar tone, but it's not a problem. Plus, the writing itself is clearly intriguing, and really carries its time well. When it comes to instrumental music the key element for me is always whether or not the material seems to convey some emotion and feeling, and these two songs absolutely succeed in that regard. I had never heard of this band prior to checking out this split, but apparently there are some former members of Rune involved, which is a bit of a surprise since this feels so much more focused and atmospheric to me. Very nice work, indeed.

Mouth of the Architect "Sleepwalk Powder" (excerpt)
Kenoma "The Nature of Empire" (excerpt)

You know the drill... if you enjoy the sounds, please buy the CD for yourself:

Translation Loss
Relapse Records