Elcia caught my attention a while ago, but somehow I’ve missed the album release in February. For those who’re not familiar with their music, Elcia is a post-rock trio hailing from Portland, Oregon. As we get used to post-rock scene, there’s more than meets the eye, especially on their latest full-length album entitled Songs Of A Silent Ocean. This comprehensive collection carries eleven compelling numbers that provide soothing melodies throughout the entire record, but also surpass the boundaries of post-rock music.
The trio solely relies on foundations of post-rock, but somehow manages to incorporate aesthetics of atmospheric post-metal, sludge metal, alternative, indie, ambient, and experimental rock music. Despite the involvement of multiple genres, Elcia expands the sound within post-rock aesthetics and keeps the essence of this art form intact as possible as they can. However, these experimentations with various accentuations retain these compositions entertainful throughout the complete material. These accentuations are equally present in the mix. Therefore, Songs Of A Silent Ocean offers compact numbers marvelously produced to accommodate the atmospheric vibe nurtured by the group.
Guitars are liberating delicate ambient themes through a wide array of arpeggiated progressions, technically demanding shreds, exhaustive guitar solos, and other compatible orchestrations. These segments transcend from calmy ambiances to more sludgy post-metal maneuvers. Slightly distorted basslines saturate these segments with appropriate low-end tones, but also sometimes duel against guitars to spice things up a little bit. The expansive drumming performance supports both instruments with various technicalities, performed with remarkable dynamics. The rhythmical weaponry goes beyond comprehension like the musicianship of the beforementioned instruments.
Elicia operates as a singular organism throughout the entire album, and all members flawlessly articulate between each other. Right with the first beats of Songs Of A Silent Ocean, you’ll notice the tremendous creativity of these experienced musicians, which keeps the attention on the perfectly executed compositions presented on this marvelous album. Songs Of A Silent Ocean is available at Elcia’s Bandcamp page, but I hope this material will receive a deserved vinyl treatment in the nearest future.
