TALONS

English instrumentalists take a journey on album number three.

Talons were always destined to be an instrumental act, with the band keen to draw inspiration from the likes of post-rock peers Explosions In The Sky. The key to vocalfree music is mastering the fine art of sucking in the listener in the absence of lyrics. Over their last two albums, the Hereford sextet have managed to do just that, with the inclusion of violin giving their soundscapes a particularly unique twist. Their third release We

All Know is just as sharp as their past work, with intro track The Drowning a masterclass in the art of swelling and shrinking, swelling and shrinking. The record sounds big, not just in its post-rock dynamics but also in its chunky guitar, stabbing drums and textures – Movements On Seven, for instance, builds to crashing distortion, violin motifs and rhythms with the punch of Nine Inch Nails. But these lads aren’t afraid to probe the boundaries, with the following

Long Reading Room a lush, string-only antidote to the noise. By the time the rowdy closer Quiet comes forth, it feels like the listener has been led on a relentless journey through both calm and cataclysm. Who needs vocals when you can have this much fun?