Some critics have argued that post rock/instrumental, or whatever moniker you put on it, has become stale, stagnant and repetitive. And yes, maybe while you do have to wade through the copious amount of Mogwai/ Sigur Ros clones, it is nevertheless possible to find fresh, exciting music still eluding from the void. One such example of this is Flux by Oakland duo Broken Cities. Formed two years ago by Nick Zomkowski and his friend simply known as Scruffy, the band came to be as if by chance. With both admitting to having no previous band history and little to no musical training, the self taught duo just started playing music together and as the music started to sound good they made more. This straight forward ethos has stayed with Broken Cities ever since and is evident in the fact that Flux is released on a ‘pay what you want’ basis.
The very graceful and poignant Ravi sets off proceedings in a flurry of crashing cymbals, delicate pianos and falsetto vocals before building to its lofty peak and falling away into sublime nothingness. Things take a darker twist with the following track Asty, a brooding mass of melancholic guitar licks all the while accompanied by an undertow of something quite sinister and bleak but at the same time totally endearing. The tone is lifted again with Decade; the closest Broken Cities come to paying any kind of homage to the bands that have influenced their sound and while it is the shortest track on Flux it is definitely one of the most memorable.
Bad points, of which there are few, come with the slight lull in the middle of the album, most notably on the track The Godfather which seems to meander and lose its way without offering the consistency felt with the rest of Flux. Of course this can be forgiven, when the band offer up The Book of the Living the albums penultimate track and easily the records stand out.
The immense soundscapes created by the duo are mesmerising and there is a feel on the record of years of worldly experience and depth, when in fact the band are performing together just over two years. Broken Cities have released Flux under a Creative Common License meaning you have no excuse not to go out and experience this brilliant debut for yourself.
Listen to Flux here
