Pick of the month for May 2007.

The bulk of Joy Wants Eternity‘s debut album is rather ambiguous. On one hand, it’s remarkable how closely the band’s name and the titles of its CDs and tracks resemble the motivating forces behind the music itself. Joy wants eternity: essentially, this is a simulacrum of emotion, hope, and the rather elusive component of space and time — endless boundaries, weightless existence, and a complete composure. You who pretend to sleep: this is a proclamation of insecurity, a defiant stand against humanity, and avoidance of the inevitable. Even before the album begins to weave itself into the listeners heart, we’ve already reserved a place for its warm embrace. On the other hand, while Joy Wants Eternity sounds similar to a traditional post-rock band, the methods it uses to creating its blistering explosions and deafening walls are rather unorthodox. We expect something predictable, but can never prepare for what is beyond the horizon.

The more acceptable post-rock methodology involves the construction of layers of sounds and noise until there’s no more room to breathe and it all comes toppling over in a glorious epiphany. This practice is top heavy; the road to the end is generally not nearly as important as the impending catastrophe and the reverberating wake that follows. The majority of a track is spent investing in this buildup, and by removing its heart, the track would be gutted of its significance and interpretive connotations. In the past few years, we’ve seen countless bands demonstrate that this is not as difficult to accomplish as we might suspect. Given enough pedals and a large stomach for distortion, one will eventually arrive at the desired destination. Although there are still some who are phenomenally better than their peers at this neat trick, undoubtedly the flair behind this practice has less impressive, and perhaps gimmicky in the right setting. 

It is then somewhat surprising to see Joy Wants Eternity adopt a methodology utilized by its less rowdy peers. Instead of working additively to conjure a magnificent, bellowing sound, Joy Wants Eternity works with negatives and paints a sophisticated portrait while primarily relying on subtractive techniques. The idea is simple, and much like that of a sculpture. The entity that is You Who Pretends to Sleep has always existed and Joy Wants Eternity simply must chip away at its sonic landscape to reveal the beautiful artwork that rests beneath the surface. Visually, it’s very clear that this is a drastic change from the aforementioned approach; whereas before the main attraction lay at the end of the work, now we are compelled to experience the entirety of the work. As such, the relatively short length of the CD (37 minutes) doesn’t actually feel like its depriving the listener of any details. Without any added filler material, every second feels essential to the overarching narrative of the album.

You Who Pretends to Sleep opens with a jolt as “Existences Rust” tears out of the gate with thumping drums and howling guitars. The rough exterior is quite unusual for the generally squeaky-clean Joy Wants Eternity, and it is in this opening where the quintet indicates that we’re staring at a new band. From there the band shifts into its standard post-rock mode, jumping right into the cinematic and dazzling energy it is so well known for. Guitars function in perfect unison and the drumming rolls through the streaking lines like a well seasons veteran. After three minutes, the track fades out and the unexpected brevity of the track is quite relieving. “Above the Clouds Lies Eternal Sun” takes several attempts to get going. Each one pushes the band a bit further along and incorporates more elements into the mix. This playful game directly involves the audience into the album’s progression, and all together we go for the kill. The lunging motion evolves into a full fledged flight, breaking through the troposphere to peak at that beacon of hope. Again, after three minutes Joy Wants Eternity has wrapped up the experience and are already readying for the next track. Both starters don’t manage to break the four minute mark, and without even pushing eight minutes, we’re already feeling like we’ve been here for much longer. 

The concise approach is exemplary of the subtractive method. Each track is crucial to the larger work of art, and Joy Wants Eternity has removed every last ounce of fat en route to providing the leanest piece of meat available. Additionally, the band moves as one; the different players mesh into a cohesive whole and the different instruments work as a single masterful hand at molding the album’s immaculate sound. “From Embrace to Embrace” is an outstanding example of Joy Wants Eternity’s newfound compositional command. Although at first glance the upbeat mood of the track might sound at odds with the more reserved tracks that surround it, the track holds its own in the larger universe in which it resides. Also the longest track on the CD at just under six and a half minutes, “From Embrace to Embrace” walks the fine line between excessiveness and clarity, but does opt for the latter, for consistency’s sake.

The album takes a detour with “Death is a Door that Opens” and “What Lies Beyond,” although the dominant themes pervade, the more experimental side of these tracks may throw the listener through a loop. After several listens it becomes clear that although the separate tracks of You Who Pretend to Sleep don’t fall into the cliche pitfall of the quiet/loud formula, the album itself mirrors this structure and the band is able to pay homage to its history in that respect without actually succumbing to the bromidic works of those who came before. A playful melody is eventually tugged out of “Death is a Door…” and “What Lies Beyond” gently threatens a violent uproar, but everything settles in the end. 

With only fourteen minutes left, Joy Wants Eternity begins its coup d’état. This is perhaps an ideal time for the band to launch into a fourteen minute epic, but instead it approaches it in stride, just like everything else. “Yet Onward We Marched” shakes off the hazy atmosphere of the previous two tracks and races towards the brilliant sunlight. Ascending guitars join the rhodes as silencing drums and fuzzy ambience attempt to temporarily extinguish the blazing flames. “Uriel” is arguably the standout track on offer. With an abundantly efflorescent nature, the track creaks along until fully blooming into a shockingly beautiful track. The denouement is provided by an acoustic guitar, which we are beginning to see incorporated by all young, ambitious instrumental bands. “You Are the Vertical. You Are the Horizon.” finishes the album as it began, with an abrasive beginning and jolting the listener once again. Here we see the band striving for its most epic. The emotion of the albums pours into the listeners ears and heart and it is an irresistible finale to an astonishing album.

At the conclusion of You Who Pretend to Sleep, I must admit that I get the impression that the band is not pushing itself to its fullest. Joy Wants Eternity is not staring wide-eyed ambitious at the world around it, but rather cautiously advancing through its song-writing and gradually tweaking its craft. You Who Pretend to Sleep was more a methodological change than anything else, and there is room to grow stylistically. This should be a huge selling point for the band, and its fans, because even though the band has already shown a mastery over its art, Joy Wants Eternity will never be satisfied with its output. Thus is the nature of the fate which the namesake implies, and this is the path which the quintet walks down. 

–Jordan Volz

Written By: host
Date Posted: 5/23/2007
Number of Views: 648