In the past, I’ve talked about how diverse and large the Luxembourgish (alternative) music scene is; especially once you dive a bit further past the well-established names. I came across today’s band toward the end of the dark-times-we-do-not-talk-about-anymore a few years ago, and I’ve had the chance to see them perform live a handful of times, with each show making me more excited for their first studio recordings. Well, I am very happy to announce that the time has finally come and Kakumori are about to release their first album called Coalescence.
While listening to their debut, I was reflecting on how many instrumental rock/metal bands there are in our small country, and I was surprised to find that I could think of more than ten bands that were at some point or still are without a vocalist…and yet, the trio stands out to me because they play a type of post-rock that sets itself apart from the rest. It’s actually somewhat hard to put into words what I would consider the thing that differentiates them, but I would describe their sound as deeply melancholic yet…cosmic, for lack of a better word.
At least to me, the entire thirty-nine minutes feel like a solitary journey into the darkest parts of outer-space, and it manages to convey feelings of despair and loneliness, but also hope and relief at times. These feelings are amplified by the brilliant interplay between all the instruments, because while the guitar lays on top of the songs for the most part in order to weave the different themes together, the drums and bass are tightly interlocked to build a solid foundation.
Another accent is provided by the synth that is tightly interlaced in the mix and can vary from being the star of the song, to just being the glitter that makes everything pop; truly great use of the instrument on all five songs. Especially the eponymous track Kakumori is a perfect example of how the synth adds so much tension and drama to the shortest song on the album that I would consider it my favorite track.
If there are readers that are not familiar with the genre, I should mention that these songs are not the type that you just put on to run in the background while you do something else. No, they truly require your attention because there are so many different parts and tempo-changes that it can get confusing at times; which I personally love.
All in all, I’m so thankful that Kakumori have finally gotten around to officially releasing music and that the result is truly stellar (no pun intended). Coalescence will be released in a week from today, on August 19th, and the release will be accompanied by a free show at Rotondes. So, be sure to head to the band’s Facebook page to get all the information related to that and do check out the amazing video for Seppuku below!