Album Review: The Burning Sea - 'The Burning Sea'

An instrumental band needs to work a little bit harder to maintain a listener’s interest. Vocals are generally what people connect to most in music because they are (usually) the human element and in a language that the majority comprehend. An instrumental band's language is pure music, and it is always a difficult task to communicate in a language that the recipient may not fully understand. Considering the type of music that is popular these days, it's safe to say that there are more people who do not understand the language of music than there are that do.

For this reason, Adelaide's The Burning Sea have their work cut out for them but, as their debut self titled album shows, they are up to the task.

The record provides a vast landscape of melodic intricacies, usually guitar driven, that can vary between soft and heavy. The drums are usually the driving force, as in tracks such as the album opener When I Reach Ithaca, which are built on by layers of guitars, each intertwining and sitting perfectly amongst one another.

The group excel in their off kilter song structures which make up for the fact that songs sound similar to one another from a tonal perspective. Effects and studio trickery are kept to a minimum which gives the record a live feel. We Are Dust, the longest track on the album, is one of the highlights, beginning with a gentle atmospheric vibe and building to a shrill wall of sound with an end of the world like feel.

The band seem to do well when working with great lengths, as the record finishes with another stand out, the second longest track, Empty Vessels, which features some small vocal parts that start as chants and end as screams for some extra colour.

A special mention for the album artwork, created by Adam Dekok, is due as it is simple yet effective, suiting the music extremely well.

This is the type of music you can easily get lost in, best for headphones, and far from tedious, which instrumental music can sometimes be. The Burning Sea have made an impressive debut record which you will discover more of with every listen, if you understand the language they are using.

1. When I Reach Ithaca

2. Wires

3. Until You Next Return

4. We Are Dust

5. Sleeper Candidate

6. Maps

7. I Was Waiting For You

8. Decameron

9. The Last Flight

10. Empty Vessels