Lately I've built up the biased opinion that most artists who release their own material are generally mediocre at best. Though this may be true in some cases, The Douglas Firs' EP Haunting Through not only makes me reconsider the opinion every time I listen to it, but it even makes me doubt that thought. In fact, the reason why The Douglas Firs are unsigned seems completely unfathomable to me after hearing this EP.
The opener "The Quickening" begins with an Irish folk attitude that even has pub ambiance to accommodate it. It then evolves into a sound I can only imagine as a collaboration between The Microphones and Broken Social Scene. This only occurs for about a minute until its apparent conclusion, given away by the applauding. However the instruments begin to gain strength as the song trudges along and ends once again only to revisit the Irish folk vibe given in the beginning. Once that ends, the song unfolds into a pleasant soundscape tied with found sound. This song doesn't conform to a verse-chorus-verse structure in the slightest, though instead greets the listener with many memorable parts.
The interlude "Future State" is no less enticing; its lush keyboard melodies and brief vocal swells create a really pleasant atmosphere. It fades out towards the middle, and introduces minimal acoustic guitar chords accompanied by one of the most organic keyboard tones I've ever heard. "Grow Old and Go Home" begins as if it's a sorrowful piano ballad, though builds with bouncy keyboards and warm saxophones. The outro of this song is also similar to "The Quickening" in its use of drone and ambiance to serve as the conclusion. "Soporific" introduces itself with beautifully reverberated guitar chords and emotional vocals, and slowly builds into a crescendo of pounding drums, melodic piano, and distorted guitar. It then comes to a slow, subdued finale that perfectly brings a closure to this 20-minute opus.
Haunting Through is a passionate, somber, and thematic EP that has a plethora of styles and directions within each song that are difficult to dislike altogether. Even in its most sparse moments, Haunting Through ceases to lose impact and instead leaves the listener with anticipation of what will come. The amount of instrumentation adds charm and individuality to the songs though still maintaining a sense of consistency and distinction as to the mood that this EP is meant to evoke.
[The Douglas Firs Myspace]
[Buy Haunting Through via contact with The Douglas Firs]
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