Last Leaf Down
Bright Wide Colder

The last leaf to fall in the autumn when all other leaves have already fallen from the tree to the ground, that feeling of being the only leaf on the tree in the cold grey time just before the snow falls is what Last Leaf Down seems to be exploring in their music. Bright Wide Colder is their second effort and it is looks cold, foggy with plenty of moisture in the air, kind of like the emotions they seem to be creating within their music. By doing so they have made one of the most interesting albums I have heard so far this year. The Swiss quintet certainly shows that they have much to offer and that they know how to make one listen to what they have to say with their music.

The press sheet describes it as somewhere between shoegaze and post-rock, a description that says about as much as somewhere between a towel and a moist sink. More or less. Descriptions like shoegaze is tossed around by many a reviewer, post-rock, atmospheric metal and perhaps even gothic metal are probably also suitable considering that this album can be compared with proponents of all these genres. I would describe their music as grey, foggy, cold, atmospheric metal with a sense of rain in the air. And I would add that the production is great, and that I think the despondent voice of the vocalist is perfect for this album. And that one could also add that it is a great album.

The songs are more built around atmospheres and sensations than the common recipes for radio-friendly hit songs. And that makes the songs similar in a way even though the album is quite varied within this similarity, which also means that no song stands out even though the first three could be considered slightly better than the following ten. On the subject of thirteen, I think that ten could have been a wiser choice – the only little niggle I see with this album is that it can be considered to be a bit long and a few songs could have been left out of it. It is 55 minutes long if you were wondering.

In the end I think that the cold, moist and foggy atmosphere of this album makes it your perfect companion for a grey and dull day, perhaps in the late autumn or early spring but it is also a relaxing choice when the sun is shining from a blue sky. The atmospheres are great and it is an album that grabs my attention and makes me want to listen, I really like it and would right now consider it to be one of the top albums of this year.

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