Ex Reverie – The Door Into Summer

Ex Reverie – The Door Into Summer / 2008 Language of Stone / 9 Tracks / http://www.exreverie.com /

Gillian Chadwick is one of the key forces behind Ex Reverie. Chadwick was originally in Woodwose, and makes strides here to craft a fully unique sound. This means that tracks like “Clouds or Smoke” have a dissonant sound present, even as the different elements of the band create a harmony that weaves its way through the track. The storytelling ability of each band member’s instrument is at such a level that vocals are not needed; when the vocals do end up entering into the equation, they are special in their own right. This is due to the fact that they really take on two distinct roles.

Instead of purely just being the narrative element in the track, the vocals here also give an added bit of harmony to the instrumental arrangements. This links everything together than much better, and means that the act can pull off rapid changes in the style and sound even during a track, without much of a herky-jerky feel. “Dawn Comes For Us All” moves away slightly from the Jefferson Airplane-esque sound that was first created during “Clouds or Smoke” and adopts a seventies approach to rock. This style, which is primarily put forth by the guitars, heavily distorted, on the track, is further modified by the vocal duet that struggest against the guitar work for dominance. While the vocals are not completely matched up with each other (creating the same sort of dominance that was previously present), they show a very human side of things.

The clapping/vocal-heavy breakdown is one of the most impressive things to come out of 2008, as nothing is needed for Ex Reverie to make such a large splash besides their vocals and hands. When the guitars call forth a Blue Oyster Cult-type of deliberateness, individuals should understand that this will be one of the most memorable tracks of the year. Ex Reverie do not merely rest on their laurels after this track, though: “Wooden Sword” and “Cedar, Pt. 2” are easily the equivalent of a “Second Sun” or “The Crowning”. This may be the debut album by the band, but the maturity present in the recordings on this album belie that fact, making them sound like old hands in the creation of some of the most honest rock this side of 1980. Pick up this album, make it a goal to see them live, and be blown away by their compelling nature.

Top Tracks: Dawn Comes For Us All, Days Away

Rating: 8.0/10