A SWARM OF THE SUN

Unhurried but excellent post-rock from Swedish duo.

Now on their fourth album, Swedish postrock duo A Swarm Of The Sun craft sprawling, cinematic songs in the vein of Japanese masters Mono. The Woods may only be three tracks long, but in true proggy fashion, it’s only just shy of 40 minutes. Although they’re certainly not averse to a crescendo or two, it’s also the case that for a substantial part of tracks such as opener Blackout the instrumentation and feel is much more reminiscent of expansive ambient projects such as Nashville two-piece Hammock. It’s only towards the end that the intensity ramps up and there’s the now somewhat well-worn postrock wig-out. The title track, The Woods, starts with a vocal-led section that’s reminiscent of American psychedelic experimentalists The

Secret Machines at their most understated, but it quickly morphs. As keyboards enter and build tension, the song becomes more widescreen, echoing the iconic John Murphy track In The House, In A Heartbeat from the 28 Days Later score even before halftime drums and electric guitar enter. It’s one of the best post-rock songs of the year, and worth picking up The Woods for on its own.