Theclosing – Theclosing
Posted by GK Limcangco
Score: 3.3/10
Circle Into Square
Theclosing
Theclosing are definitely exploring a different avenue in music. Piecing together a hodgepodge of sounds to create their abstract tunes, this music and art trio from Vienna may leave people scratching their heads. Think of it as a Jackson Pollock painting – not everyone is going to get it.
Since 2004, Daniela Auer, Alexander Hengl, and Lukas Lehner have been creating a symphony of noise that is unpredictable and full of eccentricities. Mixing sample recordings from the group’s improvised instruments, random voices and noises with both analog and digital sounds, theclosing invokes dreamy soundscapes with their inventive, playful rhythms. The group’s EP The Way to M was a fitting soundtrack for an animated short by Zsuzsanna Werner (which won the Asifa Austria Award/Best Animation in 2011). Listening to this Vienna-based trio’s self-titled debut album will transport you into a videogame-like world as their unclassifiable/genre-less music provides atmosphere with a sense of continuity.
Their debut, self-titled full length album theclosing features 14 tracks that are every bit as imaginative. “Box” is one of the group’s standout songs in the album that will keep you bopping your head from start to finish making this song is short, sweet and memorable. The group has an undeniable sense of innovation and boldness for stepping out of the box to deliver some unusual music, but the lackluster moments in album sometimes lingered too much. Opening with their 9 minute, 14 second song “Feldlied” will just throw you into the abyss of boredom, a perfect song to listen to when you’re a getting a massage at a spa. Likewise, “Andilied” starts out strong with a catchy, hip-hop beat but theclosing fails to build it up. Instead of getting the listeners more hooked into the song, it loses grit and slows to a crawl.
Theclosing is an interesting listen when you want to discover an unexplored world but lacks staying power. Monotonous and unpolished experimentations with harmonies will just push you back to safer shores. Sure, the album has some good moments but that’s not enough to carry its full weight.
