By Radhika Takru
You know a post-rock group is worth its salt when its band name is either a. a long, sprawling, endless sentence; b. a fragment of a long, sprawling, endless sentence that makes no sense on its own; or c. a monosyllabic word that you are starting to doubt is a word at all. {This can also be applied to album and song titles. Results may vary}.
So hats off to 'Until We Last' for establishing their authenticity by effectively fulfilling criterion b, listed above. From the day I spotted these Bangalorean blokes listed on a lineup, I knew they were intellectual, broody post-rockers. And I hadn't even heard them play a note.
Last year, Until We Last released Rain - a track that, if it were a blog, would be called a 'think piece.' Six and a half minutes of pensive, twinkling echoes wordlessly communicate both hope and isolation through depth {layers of guitar} and contrast {loud/soft, fast/slow dynamics}.
Is it novel? Not really. Rain is prototypical - someone comes up to you and asks "what is this 'post-rock' you speak of?" You ignore their protests as you clamp a pair of headphones around their cranium and let Rain wash over them. Seconds in, their eyes are wider, their breathing is deeper and they've stopped fighting you… and any other feeling. Six and a half minutes later, you lift off the headphones. They reluctantly pull themselves up, give you a grateful nod, and walk on - silent and enlightened.
About the Author | Radhika started writing about music for magazines, for bands, and for herself at the age of 21. Four years later, she submitted her Master’s thesis on online music journalism and its impact on critical authority. She writes for herself at http://agleteaters./%3Cwbr?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost />wordpress.com and for others at http://drownedinsound.com/%3C/a%3E.%3C/p%3E?utm_source=LBB&ref=lbbpost
Image credits: Samson
