Album: And So I Watch You From Afar – S/T

ALBUM: And So I Watch You From Afar – S/T

Words: Gareth O’Malley

I never actually realised just how weird that album artwork is until just now. They say not to judge a book (or, in this case, an album) by its cover, but if someone was to do that when they saw that in a record store, they would be forgiven for thinking that Belfast four-piece And So I Watch You From Afar were a wildly experimental group, like, say, Animal Collective circa Here Comes The Indian. It’s well known, however, that appearances can be deceptive, and once you can get beyoond the artwork, you put it on, press play, and find out that ASIWYFA (expect to see that acronym a lot in this review – much like the band’s songs, their very moniker is of an unusual length) are actually an instrumental post-rock band who turn it up to eleven quite frequently.

Instrumental!? Yes, and while this might be seen as cause for alarm, these guys definitely do not rely on the post-rock formula of quiet-loud-quiet-LOUD-REALLY LOUD… at least when they can help it. Boasting some of the best song titles I’ve seen in a while, the self-titled debut opens with ‘Set Guitars to Kill’. The aural equivalent of the end of the world gives way to crashing drums and some excellent guitar work. There are riffs aplenty on offer here, some of them incredibly catchy, and others brutally heavy.

The technical ability of the band – that’s Rory Friers and Tony Wright on guitars, Johnny Adger on bass, and Chris Wee on drums – really is something. ASIWFYA hop between time signatures like there is no tomorrow, and there are more ideas in most of the songs on offer here than some bands fit into entire albums. The most (relatively) straightforward song here is ‘A Little Bit Of Solidarity Goes A Long Way’, which features a riff that gets into your head and sets up permanent residence there, and seems to mellow out in the middle before a reprise of the riff wraps things up. It’s three-and-a-half minutes long, and needless to say, the shortest song on the album.

Every song has something memorable about it on first listen, and that is an achievement in itself, I think, as it is quite a long and complex record, but not one where everything blurs together, as ASIWYFA know an interesting song arrangement, and so can keep things interesting throughout. Some of the hooks, though… my word. On ‘If It Ain’t Broke… Break It’ (see what I mean about the song titles?), another astonishing riff enters around three minutes in. It seems to appear all too briefly before vanishing, but the song seems to be building towards something. And, just as the song seems to be wrapping up, that something reveals itself to be a reprise of that riff. Cue the song, and, indeed, the listener, achieving liftoff.

One thing, though: And So I Watch You From Afar isn’t an entirely instrumental record. Various whoops and hollers help to drive the songs along, and that seems to be the limit to the vocals on this album. However, ‘Don’t Waste Time Doing Things You Hate’ features the whole band chipping in on a gang vocal, a reprise of a guitar part that appears earlier in the song. All this is done amid some astonishing drumming (hint: I’ve got a fever, and the only prescription is… more cowbell).

What this record is, though, is damn well near perfect. I love it when an album absolutely blows me away, and  this has. On numerous occasions, in fact. From ‘Set Guitars To Kill’ through to stunning closer ‘Eat The City, Eat It Whole’, ASIWYFA have created an album that is a rollercoaster ride of a listen, veering from tender and delicate to monstrously heavy. This band are a revelation, and to think that this is only their debut… I, for one, cannot wait to hear what they do next. I’ll be keeping a rather close eye on this lot, and I suggest that you do the same. A band, and album, to be cherished.

9.6

And So I Watch You From Afar – A Little Bit Of Solidarity Goes A Long Way [alt]

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