Rosetta
Sower Of Wind
---originally published on Lambgoat---
Philadelphia’s Rosetta have been consistently churning out
well above average Post Metal for the better part of 13 years now. An alumni of Translation Loss Records, one of
the front running labels of the genre, the group has been self-releasing
material since their 2013 full length, The
Anaesthete. Perhaps not so
coincidentally, Rosetta’s sound has also broadened in that time, expanding the
breadth and balance of both their heavier and mellower tendencies. While Translation Loss does not come across
as a label likely to discourage experimentation, the freedom of going it
without representation would certainly allow an artist to create what they
want, when they wanted. And their new EP
is proof positive of just that.
Sower Of Wind
serves as a quasi companion to Rosetta’s 2017 full length, Utopiod. While the band has,
in the past, released complementary pieces (their first album was a double disc
separated into heavy and ambient sides), they have expressed that this is not
the case with Sower Of Wind. However, even if it may not be meant to
accompany Utopiod, it is an expansion of concepts that are the
foundation to that album’s more ambient backdrop.
The four tracks that make up the EP, each named after a
cardinal direction on a compass, move subtly along a base of sparse piano and
synth arrangements. There is no vocal;
there is no percussion; this is strictly Rosetta exploring cosmic soundscapes. And
as they do with their heavier material, the group excels at delivering
compelling arrangements in this format.
Sorrow Of Wind
moves along at a quiet crawl, invoking moods of darkness and desolation. Themes rise and fall through washes of
droning pitches and swirling ambience.
The first two tracks, “East” and “South”, draw heavily upon Brian Eno’s Ambient 1 record with minimalist piano
lines cutting through the murky undertones.
On “West”, it’s a soft electric piano sound that provides momentum for
the piece. But the album really comes to
a head with it’s closer, “North”. The
most ‘musical’ and approachable track on the album, it builds further upon the
groundwork laid by the previous three, providing a melodic guitar build up that
drops out into a quiet piano line. It’s
a call back to the EP’s opening moments, signaling a complete revolution around
the compass, beginning the cycle again.
Bottomline: This isn’t the pummeling version of Rosetta,
this is the band exploring and experimenting with ideas perhaps left
unfinished. Sower Of Wind isn’t for everyone – if you need your riffs and
growls, you might be wise to stick with the bands full lengths. But for anyone that enjoys darker and
mellower soundscapes, this is surely one to check out.
Rosetta - East - Sower Of Wind
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