Wherein There is PC problems...

The 4th edition of Rabbit Hole Music's Wherein There is Much Discussion of Media Enjoyed This Past Fortnight is FINALLY up. We had some computer difficulties, but Benjamin Rice managed to finally get his shit in gear and overcome small obstacles and post the goddamn article. ;)

This week (or passed two) I've been listening to Rosetta's Wake/Lift a lot (as well as dredg, as you can see two posts ago). If you're too lazy to click the link to check out what everyone else has been jamming, here's my lone submission for the incredible opus that is Wake/Lift:

----------

Metal for astronauts. That may be the perfect three word, six syllable description for Rosetta's sound. The themes are even astronaut and space travel based, but musically, Rosetta are one of the best bands for painting celestial and astrological images in your head with their music.

Most people seem to prefer The Galilean Satellites, Rosetta's debut LP, over their sophomore effort Wake/Lift. Sure, The Galilean Satellites is a superb record and a very strong debut for the band. Maybe it's Wake/Lift's ethereal and overly atmospheric qualities that make it so special to me. The brute force is hidden in the back, along with the vocals, and the mix is analog, giving it a unique yet classic feel. The songs are astonishingly powerful and moving. "Red in Tooth and Claw," over a short period of time, has already become one of my favorite songs of all time. The song in itself is a musical voyage within a larger journey throughout the 65 minutes.

The “Lift” trilogy following the masterpiece of an opener shows diversity within the three parts. The bass grooves fading into part 2's ambiance sends shivers down the spine, until the bass comes back in for the beginning of the emotional conclusion of "Lift," which finally showcases a bit of the band’s sludgy characteristics at the very end.

"Wake" is the song that easily showcases the album’s overall sound, with building grooves, pummeling crescendos, spacious intertwining guitars, and weighty riffs. "Temet Nosce" brings the album way down, in a good way, with 14 minutes of trance-inducing ambience. The song is so effective, at times you forget who and what you're listening to. It's almost like it completely engulfs anything that's happened before it and you forget you're listening to Rosetta. Absolutely mesmerizing track.

After the airy and ambient "Temet Nosce" has put you in a dream world of weightlessness, suddenly the finale "Monument" slams into the ears with a crushing doom introduction. The climax of the song, after what seems to be an endlessly beautiful build-up, feels extra rewarding with the final seconds of twinkly playful guitars wrapping up a massive closer to a massive album.

In the past two weeks I have listened to Wake/Lift quite a few times and I still think if someone were to ask me "Galilean Satellites or Wake/Lift?" I'd have to respond with “WAKE AND BE WHOLE, LIFT AND BE GONE, motherfucker!”