Lore City – Alchemical Task LP (Lore City Music)

If you paid close attention to our pages in the last couple of months, you probably stumbled upon some news posts and a review about Under Way, a recently released 7″ by Lore City. To those readers who somehow missed those blog posts, Lore City is a highly creative post-rock duo from Portland, Oregon. Within a decade, they released outstanding full-lengths, such as Kill Your Dream, Absence And Time, Alchemical Task, and Participation Mystique. Their creativity at Under Way 7″ immediately blew me away, so I was intrigued to hear more. Lore City was kind to share Alchemical Task and Participation Mystique with me, so today, I will talk about their third full-length, Alchemical Task.

This particular album carries six exceptional compositions. Some readers might say this is more of an EP than a regular LP, but these numbers are longevous enough to fulfill both sides of the 12″ record. Perhaps Lore City relies upon fundamentals of post-rock, but more elements are lurking around than you could possibly think of at the moment. Alchemical Task is a profoundly detailed, complex record that demands your utmost attention while listening. You’ll stumble upon complementary genres such as post-rock, goth rock, art rock, shoegaze, dream pop, ambient, and drone, but don’t be surprised if you recognize some other subgenres of experimental avant-garde music. It’s a comprehensive collection of calm, relaxing, soothing sonic maneuvers and rhythmic sequences that continuously levitate somewhere in the atmosphere.

Lore City avoids all the cliches of the post-rock scene and aims to create cathartic, downtempo, ambient music that will suit any mood, moment, or occasion. Therefore, Alchemical Task might not be up your alley if you’re looking for a highly energetic, progressive post-rock sound. However, if you’re into experiencing slow, calm, melodic, harmonious compositions where countless pleasant soundscapes intervene with outstanding vocal performance and subtle percussive elements, then this album will be a perfect choice for you. Alchemical Task carries many qualities of post-punk, goth-rock, and ambient music. Lore City cleverly incorporated each element to fit the primary sonic direction, but you’ll vividly hear everything they put into these compositions. Each soundscape, accentuation, decoration, and enhancement serves its purpose on this cathartic voyage, and Lore City thought about it from scratch to finish. Alchemical Task will easily receive a special place in your music collection if you’re into soothing post-rock music. Head to Lore City’s Bandcamp store for more information about ordering.