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Sep 18, 2014 Issue #50 - June/July 2014 - Future Islands By Austin Trunick

“Press Heavenwards” opens A New Nature with three minutes of beautifully spacious and dark atmospherics before the meat of the song even begins; this slow burn intro echoes Pink Floyd’s “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” more than anything we’ve heard heretofore from this post-punk trio. (Once it kicks it up, though, the song’s all Suicide ‘77.) Recorded live by Steve Albini, A New Nature is a somber march. Gone are the drum machines that were a signature part of the band’s early sound, replaced by live percussion which frees up singer/bassist Rachel Davies and Thomas Fisher’s guitar to follow a looser, more exploratory route through the music. The end result is a little too loose, maybe, missing the urgency of their previous effort, Wash the Sins Not Only the Face. We appreciate the new path Esben is taking, but they may need some more time to get to their destination. (www.esbenandthewitch.co.uk)

Author rating: 5/10