Into The Sky – Before The Storm

Kosmic Noise

Kosmic Noise Records‘ first release comes from Into The Sky, a German duo who seem happy to declare themselves to be the inheritors of post-rock while nodding generously in the direction of immediate forbears such as Michael Rother of NEU! (whose logo KNR are wont to pastiche cheerfully when the opportunity arises),

There’s plenty of both delay and choppy guitar on a-side “The Storm”, the track chundering in on a rolling foundation that sometimes veers more in the direction of rock than post-wards, chord changes welling up like gear changes that signal a fuzzy new bend in the road. So far, so Mogwai, or maybe Explosions In The Sky for that matter. Their instrumental groove is propulsive and heading for a clearly defined end point on the horizon, steely eyed and headset on the aim. When the end comes, it does so in a plethora of crystalline chords which raise the fist-pumping levels quite considerably.

“Before” is relegated idiosyncratically to the b-side of the vinyl (which comes in black, white and clear varieties), and it’s here that the debt to Rother is fully paid. Clear guitar lines roll out well-defined tones while a flanged and phased motorik drum patter cruises gently all the while. As an homage it starts out pretty damned close to the sound and feel of the original, and none the worse for that by any means; but when they blast off into a brittle guitar crescendo for the conclusion, it’s once again achieved with an unabashedly rockist verve that springs energetically in directions traversed by the likes of Trans Am at their most upbeat and triumphal.

Into The Sky have announced their arrival onto a well-populated scene with clear-eyed and lightly fuzzed-up intent, and it remains to be seen how well they fare on a longer-format recording.

-Linus Tossio-