- Joined
- Feb 24, 2021
- Messages
- 715
- Reaction score
- 4,674
- Awards
- 218
- Website
- falsememories.neocities.org
Giant Claw finally released their newest Album Mirror Guide tonight on Orange Milk Records and their personal Bandcamp Page. You can find the album on either.
Track List:
I'll be giving my first impressions of each track as I listen to it, then some final thoughts on the album as a whole. Feel free to post your own opinions as you listen too.
First Impressions:
1. Earther
2. Mir-Cam Startup
3. Mir-Cam Online
4. Disworld (vocals: NTsKi)
5. Until Mirror (vocals: Tamar Kamin)
6. Mirror Guide pt. I
7. Mirror Guide pt. II {you and me} (vocals: NTsKi)
8. Thousand Whys (vocals: Tamar Kamin & Diana Gruber)
Final thoughts:
An excellent LP, well worth the wait. Heard the classic Giant Claw sound, but was pleasantly surprised to discover a lot of new techniques and ideas that give the whole album a very unique feel to it. Highly recommend it to current fans and new.
Aishiteru yo.
View: https://orangemilkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/mirror-guide
Track List:
1. Earther
2. Mir-Cam Startup
3. Mir-Cam Online
4. Disworld (vocals: NTsKi)
5. Until Mirror (vocals: Tamar Kamin)
6. Mirror Guide pt. I
7. Mirror Guide pt. II {you and me} (vocals: NTsKi)
8. Thousand Whys (vocals: Tamar Kamin & Diana Gruber)
2. Mir-Cam Startup
3. Mir-Cam Online
4. Disworld (vocals: NTsKi)
5. Until Mirror (vocals: Tamar Kamin)
6. Mirror Guide pt. I
7. Mirror Guide pt. II {you and me} (vocals: NTsKi)
8. Thousand Whys (vocals: Tamar Kamin & Diana Gruber)
I'll be giving my first impressions of each track as I listen to it, then some final thoughts on the album as a whole. Feel free to post your own opinions as you listen too.
First Impressions:
1. Earther
Strong start. Discordant notes characteristic of GC are back, but in a "narrative" sort of way that I can't quite describe. Powerful rising tones and the repetition of the plucked strings really draws you in.
Begins with a jingle reminiscent of 90's OS startup noises, perhaps the inspiration behind the track + name. Clicking and whirring noises in the background remind me of hard drives spinning up when you start a computer. Hazy tones blanket the piece, giving it a warm, almost cozy feeling.
A much more lively track, to the point where it actually startled me when it transitioned. The plucks are back, with a pleasant, hopeful sounding melody, before being brashly replaced by a harsh buzzing noise, then back to the strings. Getting an anxious vibe from this track. Tempo gradually increases before a guitar chord and metallic bangs fill the soundspace before once again the main horns and strings come back.
NTsKi's vocals begin at the very start, with a repeating phrase accompanied by ordered chords. Almost sounds like a "normal" song here, but it quickly devolves into a sort of chaos with wild whirring, before the strings return, punctuated by sharp bangs and notes. The same looping phrase plays in the back. This continues for a while. Around the middle, strings get very fast, before being replaced by more echoing whirrs and bitcrushed guitar. Feels a bit "evil" here. The track slows down as it ends with soft tones and repeated strums.
This track is characterized by haunting vocals and discordant single piano notes. Only a few syllables are sung at a time, along with a rising hum in the back. Very cool use of horns in this one. About halfway through a more developed choir of multiple voices rings throughout with more strings. Very sad feeling. Beautiful track.
Discordant "ploks" fill the track, almost like the sound of dragging metal across concrete. Lots more plucking of strings and sharp interjections, with occasional vocals peeking through, but never quite piercing the veil. Action rises before repeating high notes and what almost sounds like high-pitched screams grate against wild percussion. The whole thing is eventually crushed until it returns to your regularly scheduled strings return, ending the track.
Almost 9 minute track, bit of a doozy. Track opens with a bang, but calms down with the sound of rain and soft, repeating vocals. Crash rings out and a choir begins, accompanied by various strings and occasional percussion. Feels a bit restrained now, like something is trying to break through. There is now silence punctuated by occasional bursts of vocals and strings, before rising and falling tones return with the rain. Now this is interesting; synth notes rise and fall dramatically before vocals are reintroduced. Very calm again with soothing tones and repeated vocals. "Aishiteru yo." I could fall asleep to this part. The song peacefully ends here.
Right off the bat, this track is highly reminiscent of Far Side Virtual, the vocals and notes here sound a lot like the track with the Skype sound effect. Otherwise, it's extremely chaotic. Opera-sounding vocals begin with discordant, warped strings. Normal sounding strings start right after. Very Pyrrhic, for lack of a better term. Aggressive, booming percussion inserts itself before disappearing as abruptly as it appeared. Moments of silence lasting a couple seconds begin, as the chords and vocals rise and fall. Last ten seconds or so is total silence.
Final thoughts:
An excellent LP, well worth the wait. Heard the classic Giant Claw sound, but was pleasantly surprised to discover a lot of new techniques and ideas that give the whole album a very unique feel to it. Highly recommend it to current fans and new.
Aishiteru yo.
Last edited: