Grasscut's follow-up to their acclaimed 2010 debut, 1 inch 1/2 mile, is an intriguing blend of genres, effectively combining a diverse range of styles and sounds. It attempts to present the musicality of everyday life, each one of the Unearth's ten tracks seemingly capturing a specific moment, feeling and mood. The album does so through an absorbing mixture of folk and the electronic and the use of soft vocals in tandem with an alternation of distressed glitches, eerie synthesizers and ghostly samples.
Ostensibly, Unearth's opening two tracks set such a high standard in their thrust and drive, that the rest of the album seems somewhat mellow in direct comparison. Nonetheless, at a second glance, this seems an intentional move, with 'Cut Grass' and 'Pieces' functioning to hook listeners in through daring and euphoric musicality, allowing the rest of the album to emphasise vocals and the bands impressively profound song-writing. Vocally, Andrew Phillips' voice flourishes during the more mellow second half of Unearth.
Unearth vividly recreates the British landscape through sound and sense, bringing with it an austerity and nostalgia that seems to stem directly from the songwriters themselves. More and more layers, to both records music and lyrics, are revealed with every repeat listen, with the band uniquely combining a sense of humanity and connectedness with an electronic genre sometimes labelled emotionless. As a result, Grasscut's sophomore release is at once both thought-provoking and yet wonderfully accessible, and serves as a worthy addition to the bands' celebrated discography.
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Review - Jack O'Neill
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Posted 18th June by Thom
