George and Caplin have produced some of the most hauntingly beautiful music I’ve heard since Sigur Rós’ Straumnes.
‘Franco Cleef Wyoming Reconstruction’ sounds a lot like Kasabian’s ‘U Boat’ that floats about in the background of the noise.
There are times that the album sounds like it was made to communicate with dolphins or whales, some of the tracks just sound like blurry sonar, tempting sea creatures.
‘Sleep Deep’ opens with tinny drums and some vapid bass. This is probably the most ‘conventional’ song on the album, it seems structured in a linear way, anchored by deep brooding vocals.
‘Brown Blazer’ sounds like it could burst into something so much more and starts to feel very trancey throughout. And ‘Two’ is an acoustic wonder, twinned with big beats and harmonicas that create a great relationship throughout the track.
At times, George and Caplin can sound like the Secret Machines, very spacey and a fantastic use of harmonies to combat the westernised style of guitar.
‘Pablo and Julia’ is truly terrifying, reminiscent of something David Lynch would use, slow and bruising, the scratch of a record player in the background making it all the more eerie.
The second half to this album, Requiem For An Encyclopaedia, is equally terrifying. It would also be very difficult to comment on each track, as they’re all very similar, if not the exact same. Each track is representative of a Volume e.g. ‘Volume A-B’, ‘Volume C-D’ and so on. Each track does vary in length and builds up a fair amount of noise to fill the gaps. It’s intriguing to listen to, to hear if there are any subtle differences.
Secluded Malls And Scenic Byways can be very enigmatic at times, as you never know where you stand with the music or where its going next. That’s not to say that it’s inconsistent; far from it. Although it’s all very mysterious, it fits nicely together and is a delight to listen to.
