Based out of North East England, Antennas to Heaven is a two-piece post-rock collective formed in late 2005. The band members' creative responsibilities are subdivided into music and lyrics. David Smith's steady, repetitious sound episodes are meshed with Phil Hodgson's evocative words. The lyrics, intrinsically surreal and Dali-esque, read like the synopsis of the dark subconscious dream matter that we only recall snapshots of upon awakening. They possess a free-flowing, off-the-top-of-the-head simplicity that is absent of a grandiose moral summation or a love-soaked cliché; a step in the right direction if I do say so myself. The words are crystal and simply describe a given scene; reminiscent of the Imagist poets of the early 20th century. The entities' first effort, The Line Between Myth and Reality Has Always Been In Finland, has collected an admirable amount of recognition, receiving air time on BBC National Radio as well as positive online reviews.
Antennas to Heaven's newest album, Hermeneutics, begins with the pulse of electronic noise and series of roaring acoustic pickups. The steadfast rhythm of the opener puts a steady heartbeat into the electronics and opens the album leaving the listener anticipating the next song. "Gravy is Gravy" still beats with the same vitality, with strumming acoustics and reverberating, tunneling lyrical in-betweens. A switch is made with "Domino Whore," which is more acoustically driven, darkening at the center of the piece and subtly building to a triumphant climax. Unlike many pieces in the post-rock genre guilty of this practice, Antennas to Heaven does not gradually resolve and quiet after the build but leaves the listener at the peak volume and intensity only to switch off to ambient noise that carries into the next song, "My Robot Lets Me Watch The Cricket". This song is absent of introductory lyrics and is instead supplanted by a meandering guitar and airy ambient voices. The alternation from a tick-tock rhythm to whirring guitar and vocal segments creates a sumptuous blend.
"27 Minute Problems" made me question the nominal intentions of the piece: it could be interpreted as 27 minute problems, meaning problems that last nearly a half hour, or 27 small, nearly insignificant problems. Either way, the melancholy environment of the isolated piano and the distant, intercom projected vocals compliment each other, supporting either interpretation. Strangely, "Ghost Carp" actually uses the pulsing of a heart beat-- an interesting choice for a song with 'ghost' in the title. The song layers on the heartbeat rhythm using a pleasant blend of wailing guitars and the ever-steady pulsing drums. "The Martian" and "Play Off" have a similar structure to "Gravy is Gravy;" alternating the instruments' volume and intensity all the while keeping the lyrics echo above the layers, which seems to be of utmost importance over the album's course.
"Canine Keith" starts with a definite melody, with digitally manipulated guitars dueling against each other with toe-tapping percussion: a really enjoyable, snappy piece. We end with "The Guns of the Kind," which is heavily synthesized with rhythmic similarity to the first few tracks of the album. Devoid of lyrics, the electronic beats hiccup and the melody laces through however, if the listener is patient enough, several minutes after the song ceases the familiar guitar work and lyrics reopen and close the album.
All in all, Hermeneutics is an interesting journey into the heart and mind of one of the up-and-coming experimental projects in the over-saturated instrumental genre. It is unsure where their original, dualistic approach will take them, but if they maintain a similar musical philosophy on their next release, blending their unique style rhythms and off-beat lyrics, the future may very well be bright for the UK duo.
-P.J. Stevenson