{"id":9862,"date":"2015-05-27T10:45:32","date_gmt":"2015-05-27T10:45:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-town-portal-the-occident\/"},"modified":"2015-05-27T10:45:32","modified_gmt":"2015-05-27T10:45:32","slug":"album-review-town-portal-the-occident","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/album-review-town-portal-the-occident\/","title":{"rendered":"Album Review:\u00a0Town Portal –\u00a0The Occident"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"Getting chucked an album to appraise that refuses to sit comfortably in any one single pigeon hole can be just as much a curse as it can a blessing. In the case of Danish instrumental trio Town Portal<\/b> and their new album \u2019The Occident\u2019<\/i> it\u2019s leaning heavily towards blessing.<\/figure>\n

There\u2019s an absolute ton going on from the word go with this record. There\u2019re discordant rhythms and time signature changes galore but it\u2019s not nearly chaotic enough to be considered out and out math rock. Similarly it\u2019s at times stupendously heavy, but the intricate shoe-gazing bridges and breakdowns that litter each track balance the record to the point where referring to it as metal would be misguided. It\u2019s definitely a rock record though that\u2019s for sure!<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

Pelican, Torche, Baroness and the like are obvious reference points but none of those bands ever wig out into prog\u2019 rock jams the same way Town Portal<\/b> do. We\u2019re not quite talking King Crimson<\/b> style prog\u2019 here but there\u2019s a definite sense of concept on tracks such as \u2018Yes Golem\u2019<\/i> with guitar parts that dart in and out of the song and offer a story like quality. Opener \u2018Bonus Triger\u2019<\/i> has arguably the dirtiest riffs of the entire album as clunking bass gives way to some serious hooks amid a cacophony of percussion. <\/p>\n

On first listen Town Portal<\/b> might seem a little light on the ears in comparison to bands of a similar style, but that\u2019s the most beautiful thing about them. Here lies proof that effective riffing can be borne every bit as much from musical ability as it can from sheer power. If it doesn\u2019t grab you on record I\u2019m sure the live experience will; it\u2019s interesting to note that the band themselves always envisioned themselves as a live outfit rather than a studio band. <\/p>\n

\u2018The Occident\u2019<\/i> might not stick around in the collective conscience forever but for the time being Town Portal<\/b> have provided a refreshing respite from the power-trio norm of simply having your ears pummelled by volume. <\/p>\n

3\/5<\/p>\n

‘The Occident’<\/em> by Town Portal<\/strong> is out now on Small Pond Recordings\/Suburban Records<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Town Portal<\/strong> links: Facebook<\/a>|Bandcamp<\/a><\/p>\n

Words by Rob Fearnley.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Getting chucked an album to appraise that refuses to sit comfortably in any one single pigeon hole can be just as much a curse as it can a blessing. In the case of Danish instrumental trio Town Portal and their new album \u2019The Occident\u2019 it\u2019s leaning heavily towards blessing. There\u2019s an absolute ton going on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14198,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[5671,5672,5670,5669],"class_list":["post-9862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-album-reviews","tag-small-pond-recordings","tag-suburban-records","tag-the-occident","tag-town-portal"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAlbum Review:\u00a0Town Portal -\u00a0The Occident - Already Heard Staging<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Getting chucked an album to appraise that refuses to sit comfortably in any one single pigeon hole can be just as much a curse as it can a blessing. 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