Do you remember those music lessons at school where you were asked to write down the images and feelings provoked by a piece of music? blanket’s ‘Our Brief Encounters’ is so cinematic that you can’t help but instinctively repeat that same exercise as you listen through the five tracks of this beautiful debut EP.
‘Acacia’ sets the scene for what’s to come with a hugely atmospheric, beautifully multi-layered landscape, where intricate guitars and keys weave an irresistible tapestry over lightly played, slow-tempo drums. Uplifting, reflective, inspiring: these would no doubt be the most common adjectives found in the notebooks of anyone studying this piece in a classroom environment and these sentiments continue through the entirety of the record. The hope and positivity that permeates each track is inspired in no small part by the survival of front-man Bobby Pook, whose near-death experience in a house fire caused him severe third degree burns and risked ending his musical career.
The sparse but well-placed vocals of ‘Acacia’ are summoned elsewhere on the EP and in addition the band use samples to embellish the narrative. Though this provides a fresh layer, ‘Tethered’ becomes a little lost beneath the samples as the musical aspects of the track don’t have the same level of adventure as the rest of the EP. As you strain to hear the snippets from 2003 film Lost In Translation, you overlook the music, which doesn’t do enough to maintain the spotlight.
‘Discoveries and Beginnings’ puts you back on the beautiful path to post-rock bliss, surrounding you with luscious dream-like guitars that swirl and twinkle, illuminating your imagination with visions of peaceful, starry nights. As it builds and grows, it’s clear that blanket have the ability and creative vision to be a major force in the genre alongside Sigur Ros and This Will Destroy You, who have clearly inspired the compositions on ‘Our Brief Encounters’.
At no point does any song feel too long or drawn out – a rabbit-hole that’s all too easy to get lost down with music of this nature. If you take any of these tracks in isolation – with the slight exception of ‘Tethered’ – you’re presented with warm, accomplished examples of cinematic, thought-provoking post-rock of the highest level. When pieced together as one coherent record however, it’s lacking the depth of emotion needed to elevate the record from excellent to exceptional.
We become addicted to stories because they take us on a rollercoaster of emotion. Storytellers build us up only to hit us with tragic twists that play on our sympathies, before building us back up again. We remember characters in stories because they have an arc; they experience a journey and we live it through their eyes. The songs on ‘Our Brief Encounters’ are individual works of art but within each one, those key adjectives – uplifting, aspirational and inspiring – are consistent from song to song. Without exploring a wider range of moods and emotions, there’s an insufficient hook to make the record as everlasting as it could be.
blanket will undoubtedly become a powerful force in post-rock. This debut EP demonstrates their understanding of cinematic song-writing in a way that’s special and rare and if they can take the listener on a substantial journey through a full spectrum of emotions on their next record, it will be an unforgettable masterpiece.
MARK JOHNSON