There aren’t many bands that have been as consistent across the entirety of their career in the way that And So I Watch You From Afar have. Each album a masterpiece in its own right and looking like there isn’t an end in sight, the band have revealed their latest batch of instrumental brilliance in the form of ‘The Endless Shimmering’, and trust us when we say it is up there with the finest sounds that they have committed to tape.
Where And So I Watch You From Afar have always excelled is in how they are able to tell such engrossing and detailed stories, without saying a single word. Their music leaps and bounds with no regard for boundary and limit, yet still manages to stay grounded enough to make complete sense.
The lush textures of ‘A Slow Unfolding Of Wings’ clashes perfectly with the direct and devilish ‘Dying Giants’ which builds into such a monstrous crescendo that it takes the breath out of your lungs, while the careful patter of the title track works in perfect harmony with the optimistically rousing atmosphere of ‘Crysalism’. It all makes for a rich, fulfilling and enriched listening experience that warms the soul, clears the mind and ensnares the senses in a way that very few musicians can.
‘The Endless Shimmering’ is as joyous as music can possibly be. Dense, vibrant, expansive and chock full of positive energy, And So I Watch You From Afar continue to be a cut above the rest. When you’re in a position as a band where you continue to go above and beyond what you have produced in the past at every time of asking and keep on setting the bar even higher for the peers that surround you, you know you must be something rather special indeed.
4/5
‘The Endless Shimmering’ by And So I Watch You From Afar is out now on Sargent House.
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Words by Jack Rogers (@JackMRog)
