Dutch trio Klangstof release their first new music in nearly two years with the aurally stimulating Ocean View. Sit back and prepare to float downstream on a wave of dreamy indie. The sonically lush offerings on these four tracks are reminiscent of Radiohead at their introspective best on In Rainbows, with singer Koen van de Wardt delivering reverb-laden lyrics over synthetic beats and understated melodies.
The title track, introduced by an unsettling warped synth and plaintive keys is a yearning alt. ballad open to interpretations of love, peace and meaning.
Fools Rage gives an ironic side-eye glance at the pointlessness of getting in a tizz over the inconsequential: “it’s a fools rage / as it all decays / how the bad words keep me down”. It’s also a reminder to take stock and remember one’s own strength rather than feel the crushing weight of the world outwith our control.
The stomping beat and pulsating crash of Silver Cloud raises the tempo (ever so slightly). It is perhaps our musos’ paean to emerging back into the light from… something. Perhaps an enforced hibernation for the past two years, or maybe escaping the grind of living when it hasn’t been possible for an extended period? Either way, the song charges its listener with an ascending melody in the chorus: “on a silver cloud / hear their hopeful shouts.”
The collection is aptly concluded by A Comforting Release, which is possibly the most interesting track here in both lyrics and composition. Noted as mixer on the release is Sam Petts-Davies whose previous work includes the aforementioned Yorke & co as well as Frank Ocean. The effect is tangible as the track’s initial melancholic rhythm metamorphosizes itself from an ambient meditation on isolation before ratcheting up in a stormy finale. The fat toms and sliding bass match the anguish of van de Wardt’s vocal, finally succumbing at the very end: “you brought me to my knees / a comforting release.”
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