Mcsplosion – Lost in A Sea of Ash
Mcscplosion, solo project of William Connel-Limer, records stunning prog-rock with his beautiful multi-instrumental talent. His sophomore record, Lost in a Sea of Ash, is a vast improvement over Foaming Heights.
A Dimension Untouched By Perception is a gorgeous opener, with keys that gently and seamlessly captivate the listener as it eases one into the album. The Sirens Call Out, But I Dare Not Leave, the emotional tour-de-force of the album, doesn’t waste a moment in its monolithic length, consistently charming one with warm synths and light percussion. The more climatic sections of the song are a pleasant balance of abrasive and ethereal. Oasis is a pleasant surprise, with Mcsplosion’s adapting his post-rock framework to a more conventional rock format. While the vocals lack confidence, they add a much-needed dynamic to the artist’s work and is something he/she should consider honing in on in future. Lastly, the final track on the album, The Nightmare Stops, carries the momentum quite well and further explores Mcsplosion’s rich and vast soundscape in a more fitting manner.
While the lengthy pieces themselves are quite admirable, at times Mcsplosion’s drags moments out longer than deserve. For instance, it has the same charm as its predecessors, but parts of The Ebony City and its Clocktower can’t feel over-long and overly conventional. Furthermore, Sinking of The Ebony City has some great climatic moments, yet half the track feels dragged out for the purpose of being “long”. Furthermore, Mcsplosion’s implementation of prog-rock is rather stale and predictable. Suffice to say, the artist excels more at the sombre moments, or the more post-rock inspired climaxes.
What’s incredibly apparent about Mcsplosion’s Lost in A Sea of Ash is it’s abundantly made of love. The most notable improvement in Mcsplosion’s work is the production; each track is gorgeously refined and magnificently polished. An area Mcsplosion’s would greatly benefit from in future is the incorporation of acoustics; the artificial drums are rather limiting. Furthermore, there’s still a slight lack in identity, as much of the aesthetic has been borrowed from previous post-rock artists. Nevertheless, Lost in a Sea of Ash is an incredibly impressive, absorbing listen, and worth a listen by any post-rock fan.
Really Good
Listen to it here:
https://mcsplosion.bandcamp.com/album/lost-in-a-sea-of-ash-2
Mcsplosion – Lost in A Sea of Ash
