Dumbsaint
Panorama, In Ten Pieces

Australia’s Dumbsaint comes up with an album for which they have also created a film, like they do with all their albums. I can only read about it as this reissue for the label’s ten years anniversary series doesn’t contain any promo for the film and quick searching online didn’t give it either. But I do read about interesting thing like unorthodox songwriting and stuff like that with a story in a suburban street and all the dark things going on behind the closed doors and gates at night. It all seems so interesting when I read about it.

Post-rock, instrumental music is what it is, there is a brief moment of vocals, but it is mostly kind of soundtracky. Not that much dynamics, it feels a bit slow, like a soundtrack to a film almost. It is musically not unlike most of the post-rock or metal, I think of bands like Mono and many others when I listen – they have their own styles in a way, but at the same time they are very similar. And this album is in many regards a little archetypical of the style, the soundscape is pretty much to the norm, as is the production. With an hour playing time it is also a long album, it isn’t varied enough to keep anyone interested for that long. That is without the film component, with that visiual addition it might actually work – at least that concept of combining music with the visual is quite artistic.

As a standalone music album this doesn’t do much for me, there are better albums in the Bird’s Robe reissues series, and I’d rather go with any of those. This doesn’t impress, it is tiring to listen to it while driving, and it doesn’t really change when I listen to it in front of the computer while working on reviews. It is a decent effort, but nothing more than that. There are no standout songs, nothing that grabs my attention, it goes on and then ends without nothing really taking place – it is not unlike several other albums that are being released nowadays, shells without much content.

I did see some positive reviews for Panorama, In Ten Pieces, so if you are into the post-rock style it might be something for you. You shouldn’t count on it though, there is a high likelihood that you find it pretty unappealing, like I do. I would recommend checking out other albums amongst the 10th anniversary series by this label, I have found some gems amongst the albums I have gotten from that, but this is not one of them.

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