Clipd Beaks' sophomore album To Realize delivered significantly more than I had expected. I had honestly thought that this was going to have the same qualities as Hoarse Lords, but Clipd Beaks have taken a different approach to their music. A lot darker, haunting and even more psychedelic than before. It's a creepy album, and it's extremely ambitious. To Realize is also very consistent, almost as if this album is covering just a single theme or concept. Whatever it is though, it has made my eyes widen and my jaw drop.
The guitars, without distortion, literally sound like a breath of wind as heard on "Home." They often consist of just one note, but through whatever pedals or effects are being used, it sounds beautiful. Lyrically, this album is very morbid. Harmonized(?) vocals on the single "Visions" chant "Tried to believe in desperate moments/when clouds become mushrooms and statues that bleed" while lower aah's hum in the background. The percussion is played in a very tribal style, and played at a slow pace. The songs themselves seem very skeletal at first, the vocals are moaned and delivered in a bluesy formula, one guitar note will chime in, and the drums are played in a tempo slower than 100 beats-per-minute at most. However, it's not long until the music burgeons into walls of harmonious feedback and reverb.
The sound matches the photograph on the album cover; a thick, billowing cloud hovering over an empty field and a rainbow shimmering through, hinting that there is still beauty in this noise. "Atoms" has an ominous drone and saxophone buzz soaring over a pulsing drum beat, but once all of that fades out, you're left with an echoing keyboard ambience that hums a peaceful melody for about thirty seconds. Afterwards, the album goes back to the dark cloud of psychedelic soundscapes.
To Realize may be a bit to endure considering it's an hour long, but just take an hour to exercise your attention span. People often categorize Clipd Beaks as "just a Liars rip-off," but I assure you To Realize justifies that they're much more than that. Clipd Beaks have definitely matured their sound. The songs are more dense in both sound and length, the lyrics are much more interesting, and Clipd Beaks seem like they've found a sound to call their own. Ominous, psychedelic, and powerful.
yes yes yes
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