Across Waters

*See the other reviews of releases 10-2 at the Review URL*

1) Across Waters - More Light Is Never Ending

This was something I didn't expect. Especially the way the band was (not necessarily self-promoted, but) promoted as Christian post-rock. Slapping a label like that onto yourself isn't necessarily the best thing for diversified listeners, but that actually didn't matter to me once I'd started listening. The beautiful way that Across Waters named their songs after biblical passages, and then had a spoken word intro to each of those songs, and followed it up with a musical reflection upon both of the prior aspects was a great idea. Even better was the fact that they took this concept and executed it flawlessly. More Light Is Never Ending is a work of art by four Christian men, with a greater-than-Christian ideal: an ideal that love and camaraderie is an important part of humanity, and holding onto and promoting this ideal with a passion bordering on insanity, Across Waters creates, in my opinion, the most stunning, unique, and wonderful release of the year. - Muzik Dizcovery - Mat Fukano

40 Days of Rain (Live) by Across Waters - Justin Lowe Productions

In den USA gibt es ja dieses sehr spezielle Phänomen der christlichen Rockmusik. Diese Musik wird tatsächlich unter dem eigenen Genre-Begriff “Christian” oder “Christian-Rock” gehandelt. Die frohen Botschaften über Liebe, Friede und Freude wird meistens ins Gewand von Alternative und Metal respektive Modern-Rock gesteckt. Ich erinnere an Bands wie Creed und Co, die ich, ohne mich zu schämen, hin und wieder immer noch höre. Es gibt aber auch Bands, die die Botschaften des Herrn mit Post-Rock, erschwerend in der instrumentalen Variante, an ihre Jünger bringen. Across Waters setzen auf ihrem Debüt “More Light Is Never Ending”, abgesehen von anfänglichen Spoken Words, im Großen und Ganzen auf Gottvertrauen, den mehr oder weniger aussagekräftigen Tracktiteln und ihren kompositorischen Fähigkeiten.

Und so tragen die aus Denton, Texas stammenden Across Waters gleich zu Beginn mächtig auf, bemühen das Johannesevangeliums und postulieren salbungsvoll:”…und es ward Licht”. Dazu gibt es dann aber wirklich astreinen Post-Rock mit allen Fisimatenten. Und so darf man sich auf “More Light Is Never Ending” an amtlichen Post-Rock, zwar ohne Anspruch auf Einzigartigkeit, aber mit schönen Momenten erfreuen. Und, ausgleichende Gerechtigkeit, inklusive der Vertonung der Genesis, des Sündenfalls und (im besten Track) der alles verschlingenden Sintflut (40 Days of Rain”). Das Debütalbum gibt es via Bandcamp (name your price). Gelobet sei der Herr. Amen. - Schallgrenzen

Una de las cosas más bonitas que tiene la música, sobre todo la instrumental, es la capacidad de interpretación que el oyente tiene al escucharla. Unos simples acordes o notas pueden inspirar naturaleza para unos, órbitas planetarias para otros, e incluso, en el caso que nos atañe hoy, hasta la religión y la espiritualidad pueden estar presentes. Normalmente dicha interpretación se deja a gusto del consumidor, pero Across Waters no se quedan ahí e intencionalmente quieren sentir que son los pastores del rebaño, quieren acercarte y hacer llegar la palabra de su dios a través de sus canciones. Quien esté a gusto con su propia teología e incluso carezca de ella no tiene por qué sentir prejuicio alguno al escuchar a estos texanos, pues simplemente bastará con ignorar los pasajes líricos que acompañan su música. Por contra, quien se sienta instigado con la arenga sermonaria del grupo siempre puede prescindir de su escucha. Viva el laicismo siempre.

Across Waters mezclan un post rock de corte clásico con el spoken word para transmitir sus ideas. Lo tiene todo para cumplir con el estándar: ecos y delay, distorsión, cambios de ritmo, arpegios en dulce progresión, incluso algún toque de xilófono. Se podría decir que instrumentalmente es un disco bastante conseguido, y a pesar de que no han inventado nada en este aspecto, no se hace pesado ni aburrido, mucho menos repetitivo.

Quizás pequen de presuntuosos en algún momento, ya que han tenido a bien publicar -desconozco si en modo irónico o jocoso, esas cosas en internet suelen malinterpretarse- opiniones de distinta gente anónima sobre ellos y su música. Una de estas citas cuenta lo siguiente: “Sois como Explosions In The Sky pero sin las partes aburridas”. Uno, obviamente, podría estar en desacuerdo con tal afirmación, pero para gustos pintan colores.

En su bandcamp podéis descargar gratuitamente su hasta ahora único disco, More Light Is Never Ending, que consta de 6 temas:

More Light Is Never Ending
The Spoken Earth
From Dust and Flesh
The Fall of Man
40 Days of Rain
All Creation Groans - Postrock.es

Across Waters is an interesting post-rock band that developed out of the heart of Denton, Texas. Four guys, with a juvenile burning desire to play music for fun, came together and matured into a group that spreads the Christian word of love and creation, and the beauty of the entire world. Their vision is truly reflected in More Light Is Never Ending, the debut album from this funny band in Texas. This album is a wondrous work of aural literature, drawing up passions and tales from far past, and emotions that run deep within the soul, feelings that have existed for thousands of years, since biblical times and beyond; they conjure up affects that make us feel and know that we are human, and that itself is a powerful and moving idea.

The eponymous opener begins with a cool synth and a passage from Genesis. The spoken word passage is followed up by a cavernously echoic guitar that sings praise to enjoyment in living - not only to the pleasures, but to life itself, and to the everlasting vision of life supernal. As a second guitar, a silky smooth bass line and eventually a grandiose drum rhythm strikes up in the back, Tyler Burditt and Sterling Archer hold the listener captive with guitar melodies hand in hand in a humble tone that croons not flamboyantly, yet still carries with it a bold taste and a sweetness that can only be an unprejudiced fondness for their fellow man. Passionate drum hits on every beat in the bridge lead into an outro verse that rings beyond beautifully, and again in the conclusion of the song, ending on a final chord that rings with a positive, undying static.

"40 Days Of Rain" has another spoken word passage - much like every other track on the release - that discusses the great flood as its subject matter, and while the synth and guitar in the first two minutes reflect the start of the gloom and rain, it begins to pick up at around two minutes, with faster drums and a back and forth rhythm shifting between casual calm and a frenetic frenzy, creating an uneasy turbulence in the song's feel, an out of control whirlpool of sorts. However, around five minutes, there begins some heavy riffing in the guitars, with the tremolo strumming adding some real power behind what's occuring, and creating a minor keyed chaos that adds real tension, particularly towards the end, where Leighton Pustejovsky begins to go all out on his drums, hammering the tom like no other, and finally, the song ends on a very shaken note, with one final, dubious chord on guitar.

This has been a wonderful record. Musically, there's a lot of influence from many bands, from te' to Explosions in the Sky, from The Appleseed Cast to Mono, from American Football to Minus The Bear, and embodying many more along the way. The influence is very Christian, but if that's not your thing, don't let it drive you away - there's really so much behind this album that it really can't afford to be missed by such a surface level detail. Deep down, Across Waters wants to portray the message that we as humans can look around and enjoy the world for what it is, and while they believe in a Creator, and you may or may not share that opinion, we all live on this Earth together, and appreciate the same things in some of the same ways. Love and compassion is the real message here, and More Light is Never Ending brings so much of it to the table that it's physically moving. I'm so excited to see where the band goes from here, they've established a great foundation with this debut and really hit everything in exactly the right spot.

You can pick up this album on their bandcamp here. - Muzik Dizcovery - Mat Fukano

The band is driven religiously through Christianity they quote directly from the bible the story of Adam and Eve although I do not follow religion although I still enjoy their music. Their music carries a simple message of hope, growth and struggles, I enjoy the their musical talent and how they put out their message as its a positive one, none the less.

Their sound is open and refreshing, each song begins with a quote from the bible its a simple quote and I don't think much into it and allow myself just to listen to the music which is full of enrichment. With majestic melodies and simple rhythms to follow the music sounds honest and open from the beginning song 'More Light Is Never Ending' with a gentle drumming and easy flowing waves of melodies. With subtle moments of ambient simple melodies that allow you to think of more gentle simple things which then draw into more larger sound adding more layers eventually exploding into fast paced huge riff over melody drawn out echoing effect.

The next song beings with a quote about god creating the lands and making it all good. I take what I can from the quote and believe that band is trying to orchestrate a picture of delicate growth and goodness in their song. The song 'The Spoken Earth' begins more gently with low down bolder melody that slowly churn out while a high pitched more treble based melody echoes overhead. Its a simple effect and they begin to layer more to it adding more depth which makes me picture god creating the earth and everything slowly adding the complications and gentle touches. I think the band shows talent in orchestrating their message of peacefulness but with added touch of intricacy. Like this previous song this song also explodes about two thirds way into a screaming melody that stretches over deep embedded open riffs creating a extreme picture of something huge. The song settles back down into a fading tired melody.

The quote in the next song describes how god created man in the image of himself explaining that his creation was good. This song 'From Dust and Flesh' is a more down to earth song with a faster expansion and growth compared to the previous songs the song seems to erupt quickly into foray of drumming and riffing which falls slowly into a honest and simple melody being slowly picked, its a nice effect after the previous eruption of sound to be able to slowly put down and then lifted back up with more solid and harder rythms building to the end which un surprisingly blows up into a larger then life sound with deep echoing melodies and fast even paced drumming. There can be a lot to fall into in these explosions there can be too much to tune into within the song it can be overwhelming.

With a more mellow and even sound the next song shows some despair with a more serious tone beginning the song with the quote of how Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. The song afterwards cries with screaming melodies with slow virtuous build ups the song progresses into a intense despair of frustration and anger like god is striking down from the heavens shown through more heavy riffing and distortion and then it tones quickly down to its melodic roots.

'40 Days of Rain' is a more aggressive song beginning with the quote on how god wanted to clean the earth of man so from there the band creates a more aggressive approach with stronger riffs and melodies featuring slightly more distortion. I imagine the band is trying to create a image of the earth filling with water and great floods appearing through their more hardier progression. The song holds less ambiance and more complicated layering and powerful melodies striking out. The song is the most heaviest and strongest of the album offering an intense ride and storm of aggression.

After the previous devastating song the next is more uplifting with a more empathetic sound and positive rhythms embracing a more clearer sound. The songs finishes the album in a great wave which expands and contacts and then finally bursts from strong imprisoning melodies.

For a religious band I was surprised in the depth and emotion put into the album. The band shows they can explain themselves through the use of post rock methods creating a diverse range of emotions through melodic layering. If you are open to this expression then you should enjoy this intense emotion packed album. - www.icanhasmusics.com