Art Rock Show – Cold Waves Divide Us (Week 19)

Door elementen uit de elektronica, postrock en alternatieve rock te combineren met progressieve en gotische ondertonen, heeft het Schotse duo Midas Fall een knap en boeiend geluid gecreëerd, waarbij strakke, glinsterende soundscapes worden gecreëerd onder inspiratie van de angstaanjagend melancholische zang van Elizabeth Heaton.

Sputnik Music review: “It’s a testament to the skill of Scottish trio Midas Fall that they were able to craft such a gripping record. For all 47 minutes, they sweep the listener up in post prog rock glory, a melancholic and dark journey that manages to both haunt and amaze at the exact same time. And if you’ll lend me your eyeballs and a couple minutes of your life, I’d be happy to explain exactly why this music is so gripping.

Cold Waves Divide Us can be described in one simple word: ethereal. The most obvious reason behind this is frontwoman Elizabeth Heaton, who’s haunting vocals float through the record, spellbinding the ears each and every time. It’s undeniable that a lot of Midas’s impact would be lost if Heaton’s vocals were replaced by someone else’s.

And yet, despite that, Heaton has a shockingly minimal presence on the album, at least from a vocal standpoint. Lyrics on each of the songs tend to be simple and short, either drawn out or spaced out in between gorgeous instrumental passages. This is where the magic of Midas Fall really begins to kick in. Three multi-instrumentalist members deftly wielding synths and guitar and bass and piano? Done wrong, it could be a mess of sounds and ideas that don’t gel properly. But, let’s be real, you’ve seen my rating, you know exactly how well they pull it off. (…)

So, combine a hauntingly gorgeous vocalist with a repeated “rise and build” structure over the course of ten songs, all backed up by killer instrumental soundscapes that combine beautiful ambience with soul-touching riffs and drum beats, and it’s no wonder why this album sent me into a trance by track 4 or 5. This is a one-of-a-kind album, nearly flawless in its execution, and I’m not sure the 600 word review I’ve written so far could properly put into words how enthralling Cold Waves Divide Us is. I cannot recommend it enough.”

Naast Midas Fall (Cold Waves Divide Us), Exxasens (Beyond the Universe), Maybeshewill (No Feeling Is Final), O’brother (Garden Window), God Is an Astronaut (All Is Violent, All Is Bright), Kwoon (When the Flowers Were Singing…) & Collapse Under the Empire (Shoulders & Giants).

• Thursday/Donderdag 12.00 – 24.00
• Friday/Vrijdag 12.00 – 24.00
• Saturday/Zaterdag 12.00 – 24.00