Album Type: Album
Date Released: March 02nd 2015
Label: Argonauta Records
Volume II – Track Listing
1. CHAPTER XV
2. CHAPTER DCCXV
3. CHAPTER XII
4. CHAPTER DCLXVI
5. CHAPTER XIII
6. CHAPTER XIV
7. CHAPTER XXV
8. CHAPTER XXVI
Bio
Last Minute To Jaffna is a band playing heavy
psychedelic music. Formed in 2005 in Torino Italy, they self released an ep in
2006, then the first full lenght Volume I came in 2008 through Consouling
Sounds, Hypershape Records, Concubine Records and Swarm of Nails. A new album,
recorded and mixed by Lorenzo Stecconi (Ufomammut, Lento, Zu93) is set to be
released in 2012, along with an EP containing acoustic versions of some of
their tracks.
Through the years they've toured in Italy,
Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Netherlands and France, sharing the
stage with artists like Isis, Wolves In The Throne Room, Scott Kelly, The
Ocean, Ufomammut, Kylesa and many others
Members
Danilo Battocchio - guitar, fx
Valerio Damiano - vocals, guitar
Andrea Skinner Pellegrino - drums
Gianmaria Asteggiano - bass
Review:
Last
Minute to Jaffna seem to have an interesting attitude to chronology - their
latest release “Volume II” comes hot on the heels of “Volume III”, released in
2014. Now entering their tenth year of existence, the Torino quartet have
somehow managed to slip under my radar until now. After giving their latest
release a few spins this won’t be happening again.
“Volume
II” kicks off with the slow burning “Chapter XV”, which unfortunately I find to
be a bit of a false start. Building from quiet, delayed guitars to heavy
distorted riffing, it fails to engage until Valerio Damiano unleashes his
powerful roar about five minutes in and then everything clicks into place.
Fortunately this is a minor blip as over the course of the subsequent seven
tracks Last Minute to Jaffna draw the listener right in and don’t let go until
the bitter end. Lengthy epics “Chapter DCCXV” and “Chapter XII” follow which
highlight what the band do best; astral voyages through Isis-style soundscapes
riddled with spiky melody reminiscent of Mastodon.
The
real highlights of the record though come in the forms of “Chapter XIII” and
“Chapter XXV”. Both of these tracks are dark ballads of the kind favoured by
Scott Kelly, both beginning in whispered near silence before being stretched
into crunching, cathartic dirges. The later of these two behemoths establishes
a particularly evocative atmosphere at its inception, smearing faraway
crackling static over chiming chords as heavily reverbed drums join the fray to
create a real otherworldly feel. The overall effect is not dissimilar to the
work of Yob on their seminal 2014 release “Clearing the Path to Ascend”.
Last
Minute to Jaffna offer a couple surprises along the way too, particularly
centrepiece “Chapter DCLXVI”. Initially it appears to be a welcome respite in
the form of some cleansing drumless droning doom before things take a most
unexpected turn. Out of nowhere, drums erupt into a drum and bass pattern which
gradually becomes increasingly chaotic and fractured, taking on strange new
forms. I’ve still not managed to work out if this has been played live or has
been cut up and manipulated using studio trickery. However it’s been done, it
works to great effect and takes what could easily have become a jarring and
crass experiment into different rhythms and makes it a success. Closer “Chapter
XXVI” also offers a different side of the band. It takes the sparse repetition
of Earth and marries it to the dark melody of Mogwai to hypnotic effect,
bringing the album to an end in quiet, ambient fashion.
Apart
from the slight misfire of “Chapter XV” and a slightly flat production, “Volume
II” is a triumph. The material on display here shows the band have got more
than enough inspiration to keep their fires burning for another ten years and
beyond.
Words
by Charlie Butler
Thanks
to Barbara at NeeCee Agency and Argonauta Records for the promo. Volume II will
be available to buy on CD/DD via Argonauta Records from
March 2nd 2015.
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