Ants From Up There

easy album of the year for me. every song here is filled to the brim with amazingly memorable musical moments, that ring in my head 6 months later. gone is the pedal-heavy, rough, and almost edgy sound that came from the groups first venture into full length releases, and it is happily replaced with a warm and comforting acoustic sound pallet. last year, i was filled with anticipation for this release, i couldnt wait to hear how they would push their sound into even more experimental directions. what we got was indeed quite far from what i had in mind, but the result is truly the best improvement imaginable. from the upbeat and almost triumphant feel of the "chaos space marine" chorus, the melancholic guitars of "concorde", the unnerving yet enchanting plucks of "haldern"s final notes, the backing vocal harmonies of "the place where he inserted the blade"s fulfilling ending, the beautifully chaotic drums of "snow globes", and finally, the most cathartic piece of music i have experienced, the entirety of "basketball shoes" This album is truly a musical masterpiece.