A Burial at Sea – Close to Home (Review)

A Burial at Sea are a post-rock band from Ireland and this is their second album.

Close to Home contains 43 minutes of exquisitely rendered post-rock. Boasting contributions from shoegaze, jazz, and progressive rock, this is a non-standard album for lovers of broad soundscapes and brass-enriched musical vistas. It’s mostly instrumental, and paints wonderfully textured pictures with sound.

An album described as it is above might be expected to deliver broad, long-form compositions, but this it not what we get on Close to Home. Instead, A Burial at Sea focus on short, concise epics, which sounds like it should be an oxymoron, but here it isn’t. These tracks are delivered masterfully complete and whole; the worldbuilding so inherent to this sort of thing is used well, and over refined durations; A Burial at Sea frequently do more and better with three or four minutes what many similar bands strive to accomplish with typically double that.

For a rough starting point, think of a mix of bands such as Tangled Thoughts of Leaving, Din of Celestial Birds, Russian Circles, Explosions in the Sky, This Will Destroy You, and a touch of the musical prowess of Of Monsters and Men.

Close to Home is resplendent with affecting melodies and drips with affecting emotional depth. The album boasts dynamic, mood-focused songwriting that immerses in shades of light and colour that dazzle and amaze. Ethereal atmosphere washes over the listener as haunting sounds entrance and soothe.

The music has been created with a kindness, passion, and careful attention to details that speak well of A Burial at Sea. The songs are intimate and soaring, managing to balance the two so that the listener feels like they have encountered a well-kept secret, while simultaneously flying high with it for all to see. Close to Home thrives on this juxtaposition, revelling in its status as both guarded and open.

The only misstep is the spoken word sample in pointless interlude track T.G.G.O.A, which breaks immersion and ruins the mood, as all such samples inevitably do.

Despite this, Close to Home is remarkably joyous and life-affirming, but with enough grit and melancholy to be relatable. Close to Home is a thoroughly enjoyable release, and I highly recommend it for fans of the style.