Album Review: Closure in Moscow - 'First Temple'

2 September 2009 | 1:49 pm | Staff Writer
Originally Appeared In

Extraordinary full length from former Melbournians.

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Very few bands can claim to match the success Closure in Moscow has been met with since forming in Melbourne in 2006. Eighteen months after their inception they signed to respected Australian label Taper Jean and since then the future has never looked brighter.  First Temple, their debut full length found a home for an American release at Equal Vision Records (Fear Before, Fall of Troy) and subsequently led to them relocating to tour the States with American counterparts Scary Kids Scaring Kids and Emery.

The most admirable aspect of First Temple is the smaller touch’s each song has received, and how well the album gels as a whole.    Electing to record with Kris Crummet (responsible for the bands album EP, ‘The Penance and the Patience’, as well as Dance Gavin Dance), has obviously been a sound decision with the production being hard to fault.

While often lugged into the same barrel as The Mars Volta, First Temple is, in fact far more digestible without having to put your thinking cap on to sift through 3 minutes of an incoherent mess of riffs and noise.  The comparison is reasonable in some aspects however with songs like “Vanguard” being in a similar vein to the aforementioned group but is a far more uplifting and enjoyable experience.

The melodic elements of each song have the rare ability to permeate the listener’s brain with ease and its residual effects can be felt for hours after listening. Appearing in the latter half of the album “Deluge” is an excellent example of this a captivating chorus which provides a suitable means for vocalist Chris DeCinques to exhibit his substantial vocal range.

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It’s difficult to some up such a vast album in written format, and only with each listen does First Temple begin to unveil its secrets.  According to a blog post on their Myspace, Closure are returning home in December for a run of shows including Home bake, so be sure to lap it up while you can before they jet back to the states to continue carrying the flag high.

Mesmerising from start to finish, 'First Temple' is surely a contender for the Australian release of the year. If anything, it's a startling debut LP from Closure In Moscow.

  1. Kissing Cousin
  2. Reindeer Age
  3. Sweet#hart
  4. Vanguard
  5. A Night at the Spleen
  6. I'm a Ghost of Twilight
  7. Permafrost
  8. Deluge
  9. Afterbirth
  10. Arecibo Message
  11. Couldn't Let You Love Me
  12. Had to Put It In the Soil