Review: Long Distance Calling - Satellite Bay

Label: Viva Hate Records

Released: September 21, 2007

When dealing with any of the post-this-or-that sub-genres, you're almost always going to have music that is a challenge to even the most patient ear and largely inaccessible to most everyone else. There are, of course, exceptions and Long Distance Calling is one of them. Their strong layered approach can be spellbinding both with a quick listen or a critical ear.

Throughout Satellite Bay, Long Distance Calling creates layers ranging from ambient noise to metal crunch, varying the music by subtly adding and removing elements. The care taken in constructing their music is evident from the first track which takes five minutes to build from it's quiet beginnings to its heavy climax. A pop song is over in less time than Long Distance Calling merely sets the stage. In both the airy and the dense sections, each component seems to be encapsulated as a standalone object that is nonetheless integrated perfectly into the whole. The ambient noise, seemingly multiple layers of drums and bass, echoy and crunchy guitar layers and voice samples in lieu of traditional vocals come and go as the music swells and recedes. This approach relies very little on any but the most subtle melody.

Half way through the album, it could end without complaint, yet the two truly heavy songs are yet to come. "The Very Last Day" begins as an ominous war march that ultimately becomes a crushing heaviness and "Built Without Hands" compresses that dense sound even further. Just before the intensity becomes too much, Satellite Bay draws to a close in much the way it began.

Long Distance Calling calls on the work of a number of experimental bands, from Isis' droning weight to Explosions in the Sky's noddling expansiveness to Husker Du's controlled noise. In the end though, they've concocted these ingredients into something quite its own and that something both pushes the limits for those who would takes its path and carefully pulls along the less adventurous listener until they can't escape.

Rating: 9/10

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