And So I Watch You From Afar

It would be far too easy to throw Irish band And So I Watch You From Afar into the nebulous post-rock category simply because they make instrumental music with their guitars, but it isn't that simple. Their second album, Gangs, isn't a subtle record, but a band that once claimed that they were the bull and their listeners were the china shop were never going to take the quiet route. Instead, they throw themselves into each and every track with a great deal of aplomb and volume. The dynamics within the songs are rather unusual ― they don't always do the typical quiet-loud thing, although they aren't completely adverse to it. There are more punk and dub influences thrown in than usual, and that can sometimes be a little jarring when there's an unexpected shift in direction. As well, they resort to overworked guitar riffs with alarming regularity, cluttering the proceedings. And So I Watch You From Afar are still a band demonstrating potential and when they finally manage to harness all their ideas and distil them into something sleeker, they will be a force to be reckoned with. But, for now, they aren't quite there.