Belong are really hazy on this record, perhaps too hazy for their own good. This album of about nine songs is a natural progression of their sound. I think of their sound as surf music; the literal sound of surf hitting the shore. While this steady, constant far-away sound can be entrancing on the good songs, unfortunately a lot of it seems to go on for too long or feels a bit uninspired.
Some of the songs do work for me. The opener “Come See” is fairly excellent. I enjoy the song bass, coming in at the right time. Had more of the songs included the intensity of this one or unpredictably, I might be satisfied with the album as a whole. As soon as it gets into the two minute mark, you’re brought up to a higher level and lifted out of the sound’s complete murk.
“Keep Still” would be my other favorite from the album. Any trace of the drum machine is erased. Instead you’re given a heavy sea of sound. The gigantic sound is perhaps what they were aiming for with the rest of the songs but failed to reach.
Unfortunately, the album, while decent, isn’t as good as you’d hope. Had they perhaps included more low-end, it might have been better than the perpetual overcast feel most of the album contains. Other bands are obvious influences, such as My Bloody Valentine, Spacemen 3, etc. But they never quite reach those band’s heights. Instead they rest in an awkward position between a full blissed out sound via Tim Hecker or a more rock-orientated sound.
There are good moments (great ones actually) on this record such as the two aforementioned tracks but as a whole it fails to leave a strong impression.