Search - Cul De Sac :: Crashes to Light, Minutes to Its Fall

Cul De Sac
Crashes to Light, Minutes to Its Fall
Genres: Alternative Rock, Special Interest, Pop, Rock

Track Listings (10) - Disc #1
1. Etaoin Shrdlu
2. K
3. A Voice Through A Cloud
4. Into The Cone Of Cold
5. Far Off, The Fabulous Iron Serpent Whistles
6. Father Silence
7. Hagstrom
8. Sands Of Iwo Jima
9. Auf Der Maur
10. On The Roof Of The World

CD Details

All Artists: Cul De Sac
Title: Crashes to Light, Minutes to Its Fall
Members Wishing: 3
Total Copies: 0
Label: Thirsty Ear
Original Release Date: 5/4/1999
Release Date: 5/4/1999
Genres: Alternative Rock, Special Interest, Pop, Rock
Styles: Indie & Lo-Fi, American Alternative, Experimental Music, Progressive, Progressive Rock
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 700435706422

Synopsis

Product Description

Cul de Sac has been described as "post-rock," a vague category for bands typically uncategorizable. Cul de Sac weaves instrumental trances around guitarist Glenn Jones' finger picked stylings that recall surf, Middle Eastern, or folk music. He also plays "the contraption," a Hawaiian lap-steel-guitar laden with effects pedals and played with kitchen utensils. Synthesist Robin Amos produces distinctive sounds by playing instruments he created himself; his electronic sounds are musical, not a distracting novelty as can sometimes happen in similar situations. Bassist Michael Bloom and drummer Jon Proudman provide a rock-solid yet melodic anchor for the band. All four are virtuoso yet sympathetic musicians -- none of them hog the spotlight. Crashes to Light Minutes to Its Fall, the band's fifth album, finds Cul de Sac at its most confident and lyrical. The music is complex and cerebral, yet playful and accessible. This is mind-expanding music of the friendliest sort. Its potential appeal ranges from fans of Pink Floyd or German rock bands of the '70s like Can or Ash Ra Tempel, to surf-rock mavens, or people who say they like the concept of new age music but find the execution dull. "Etaoin Shrdlu," the opening track, ushers in the album gently with percolating electronics and Greek-style fingerpicked electric guitar. Within a few minutes, the listener is catapulted into the stratosphere with a contraption and electronics duet. From there, the journey is by turns down to earth, as on "A Voice Through a Cloud," and otherworldly, such as "Into the Cone of Cold." "On the Roof of the World" gently touches down with a guitar figure that is alternatively Japanese and Appalachian sounding. Cul de Sac's music is not, as the band name suggests, a street closed at one end; rather, it is a road leading to endless possibilities.(from All Music Guide"

CD Reviews

About as close as pure post rock will come to a great CD

drumb | milwaukee, wi United States | 11/04/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Simply put, Cul De Sac represents everything good about the relatively new genre of Post Rock. With their obvious musical saviness, Cul De Sac references an enormous wealth of obscure styles ranging all the way from progressive to surf to create a sound that is as much in debt to fusion pioneers "The Mahavishnu Orchestra" as to the classic "Beach Boys". "Crashes to Light..." is certainly no exception to this established image of diversity as it seamlessly melds the sonically mammoth guitar blasts of Sonic Youth with the mellow ambience of Tortoise and effectively covers everything in between. Containing no vocals to limit or formalize the ideas presented on "Crashes to Light..." the instruments are allowed to flow and melt until the ideas of individual notes and written music fades into the background in favor of a shimmering tapestry of majestic noise. Then, proceeding like an extended dream, the album creates a myriad of highs and lows that have endless depth leaving the listener completely enveloped in sound by the end of the CD. Although each song seems to almost dissolve into the next, the album's true centerpiece is the 12+ minute opus "The Sands of Iwo Jima" which is guaranteed to impress any critic of the post rock scene. However, in similar fashion to the old progressive rock bands of the 70s, some may be turned off by the obvious pretentiousness associated with this style of music, but for those who are able to digest a rather heady blend of middle-eastern vibes and krautrock soundscape explorations, this album delivers exactly that. With more power than Tortoise and less noise than Mogwai, Cul De Sac is a perfect middle ground for post rock making for an album that will not only appeal to fans of the genre, but also still remain accessible enough to be appreciated by most non-enthusiasts. Perhaps one of the greatest representations of what is going on today in the world of experimental indie, Cul De Sac is a good buy for anyone interested in hearing the direction being taken by much of today's underground music scene."

Cul De Sac-'Crashes To Light,Minutes To It's..'(Thirsty Ear)

Mike Reed | USA | 02/23/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Not as good as this title's follow-up release 'Immortality Lessons'(see my review),but still decent enough.Thought that 'Crashes To...' was also tough to describe,but here goes... experimental post-rock.Ten cuts with a total of 72:54,so it is a long record.Best two tracks that held my full attention were the nearly ten-minute "A Voice Through A Cloud" and the disc's other lengthy tune "Sands Of Two Jima".Line-up:Glenn Jones-guitar,Michael Bloom-bass,Robin Amos-synth and John Proudman-drums.Just might appeal to fans of Jessamine,Tortoise,Flying Saucer Attack and Jim O'Rourke."

A trip.

iechyd | 06/13/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Great instrumental music from Cambridge, MA's unheralded heroes. There is actually one song with words, but mostly the music will drive your mind sans verbiage."