Wake This Day - Gaze Into The Beyond
WakeThisDay is a post-rock band hailing from the ports, beaches, and winding roads of Poole, England. Originally formed as (...and it was a) Cold and Lonely Winter," band founder Alex Giordano began to take his music into a much more different style, experimenting with different concepts of songwriting. Eventually, Giordano recruited other members and dropped the parenthetic moniker in favour of the current (and far more easy to say) name.
WakeThisDay's first major release, entitled "Gaze Into The Beyond," is a collection of emotions, stories, and guitars. The compositions seem to revolve around the guitar lines, as if it's the general in the field leading the other instrumental soldiers. Whilst the other instruments are capable, (and in some cases, fantastic, like the piano on "Sombre Skies for Sombre Eyes") the guitar definitely stands out, especially on the track "Myne," which is fantastic. It's the dramatic force pushing WakeThisDay further towards musical theatre than just a rock band. While that's not uncommon in post-rock, it being a rather intellectually self serving genre, a lot of bands fall short of the dramatics. Luckily, WakeThisDay do not.
"The album tries to tell a story," said Giordano, when I asked him about the record. Upon listening to the songs a few times and observing the tone in each, I believe he's right. It does tell a story. However, this can be a double edged dagger. Since the album is purely instrumental, it leaves the concept of the album in the hands of the audience. Each listener's story with the album is going to differ from the next. To one listener, the story may be minimal, but another may have a grandiose story connected with the album.
Overall, the album is great. It provides a wonderful listening experience on repeated plays and offers up great songs for guitarophiles. If you looking for a eclectic array of instruments, this probably would not satisfy you and if you get caught up on percussion, it could have a similar effect. If you can get by these two albatrosses, I would highly recommend giving "Gaze Into The Beyond" a listen.
Review by Bill Goodman