Allan’s World Music

Gregor Samsa - Rest
8 May 2008, Jessica @ 6:07 pm

I first picked up Gregor Samsa’s music when listening to a split EP with Red Sparowes back in 2006. They had also just released their debut full-length album, 55:12, that very same year. Gregor Samsa became one of my favourite bands since then. I was pretty hyped up about the recently released Rest (2008). This album has been getting mixed reviews, and I suppose I can see why. For those who are familiar with Gregor Samsa, Rest seems too different from what pre-Rest fans are used to, and those who are listening to them for the first time through Rest may find this album has lots of potential, especially in the post-rock genre.

I can only describe Rest as ambient and experimental, as Gregor Samsa seems to widen their instrumentation uses with this album. There are a lot of different instruments and sounds I didn’t hear on their previous albums, like the use of chimes or other miscellaneous sounds, such as subtle buzzing and whirring. The main idea of Gregor Samsa is the same, though: all music is slow music (their “Sounds like” description on MySpace used to be something along the lines of, “sometimes sad, sometimes angry, never fast, always slow”). And so it seems that the title of this album has some appropriateness to it. I found this album to be a lot more creepier than anything Gregor Samsa have ever made, probably due to them taking a step away from the post-rock indie pop sound. Lyrical focus is conveyed in a manner of gentle whispers rather than singing, as I was used to with previous albums. Each instrument seems to be intricately weaved together to form an overall soft and endearing sound.

For me personally, I found this album way out of the Gregor Samsa context. It’s hard to accept that they are trying to find a new sound in what many say is an overdone and dead genre. I think I need to accept the fact that they are still relatively new, with only two full-length albums and a couple of EPs released thus far, and that a band needs to develop their own sound to really set them aside from other artists/bands, which is pretty hard to do in post-rock. Like the band states on their website, they didn’t think they’d take a literal meaning of Gregor Samsa (Kafka’s The Metamorphosis), but they sure done it!

That being said, I did like this album. It has many elements that I like (I heard a lot of mum elements), and still holds onto the Gregor Samsa disposition of nice and steady wins the race. There’s no real reason to hate on it unless you’re a stubborn old fan. I would recommend those who’ve been introduced to Gregor Samsa through Rest to check out their older stuff, too, because it’s quite different but very delectable.

Gregor Samsa - The Adolescent

Gregor Samsa - Du Meine Leise

Get Rest through:
CD Universe, Insound, or just go to sleep.

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