Insight & Critique
  • DAC
  • Indie Music Album Reviews
  • About
  • Submissions
  • Top albums
  • Features
  • Contact

Yelling Bones - Outside

5/10/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Yelling Bones

​
Outside
self-released; 2019

​3.9 out of 5

By Matt Jensen

Yelling Bones is Gerry McGovern, Brian Malone, Fionn McDonnell and Myles McDonnell. They are an Irish band that released Outside. I was reading about what other people were saying about them on their Bandcamp page. They have been getting comparisons to bands like Spiritualized and Sigur Rós. Both of those comparisons are right on the money but are also too limiting to their sound.

​Yelling Bones makes music that isn’t supposed to feel frivolous or even fun. It’s going for a cathartic release of human emotion. The songs, even if you don’t listen to a single word, will give you the sense the music is exploring pain, pleasure, hope, nostalgia and well the human condition. This isn’t easy. When bands fall short of such benchmarks that bands like Sigur Rós and Spiritualized set, things can go south fast. That grand epic moment the band hopes to create can feel melodramatic, contrived and at its worst just straight up cheesy to where you feel embarrassed for them.

The album starts off with “Let's Swim” which is an ambient soundscape of sorts. They are attempting to create this sense of awe, nostalgia and melancholy. It’s a slow burn for sure and gets more dramatic with every turn. The song slowly starts to escape the darkness it embraces at first and eventually seamlessly finds seeds of hope. This slow transition in mood is one of the band's best moments. There is no denying the song is way beyond verse/chorus/verse type stuff.

They provide some much needed levity with “The Loner.” The song sounds a lot like Explosions in the Sky decided to attempt utilizing a vocalist. I liked the vocal hook and the Irish accent really worked for me.

“Consequential Butterfly” was the highlight. The song is very well structured and also melds many different emotions. I loved the vocal melody. This felt like a good place for the band and I might argue this feels the most like them. The performances felt natural and they didn’t seem to go for such extreme, intense emotions.

Up next is reverb laced “In the Moment” which had a very post-rock type feel to it. They get subdued with “A Good Man” which perhaps sounds something like a B-side from Spiritualized. “Outside the Window” on the other hand is where the band has their most similarities to Sigur Rós. They got moody with the soundscape “15 Minutes.” An album like this kind of has to close with something epic. The don’t disappoint with the sixteen-minute song “Jason and Phil (Repetition Makes the Sea Strong.).”

Bands like Sigur Rós and Spiritualized have a signature sound. Sigur Rós in particular is one of the most singular sounding bands to ever exist period. Yelling Bones on this debut release seemed to be getting a sense of who they are and seem to be exploring different ways they can define their own signature sound. They don’t get much further than exploring but there are plenty of poignant, beautiful, hopeful, nostalgic and cathartic moments in that journey of discovery. Recommended.
official website
Spotify
Tweet
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

       Critique/insight

    We are dedicated to informing the public about the different types of independent  music that is available for your listening pleasure as well as giving the artist a professional critique from a seasoned music geek. We critique a wide variety of niche genres like experimental, IDM, electronic, ambient, shoegaze and much more.

    Tweets by divideanconqer
    Are you one of our faithful visitors who enjoys our website? Like us on Facebook


    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012

Company

About
Contributors

Newsletter

Newsletter
Book Your Band

© Divide and Conquer 2021. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • DAC
  • Indie Music Album Reviews
  • About
  • Submissions
  • Top albums
  • Features
  • Contact