Close Eyes to Exit
Foreword:
For the foreseeable feature I am going to be focusing my reviews on bands and artists that are on the bill for Coachella and other upcoming popular festivals. This way I can discover, and help others discover the must-see artists they may have never heard of before! Yay music.
-Magicfingers
Recommended for:
Fans of indie rock
People who are into ambience and electronic infused music
Fans of bands like Alt-J and Radiohead
Pros:
Clean production
Coherent, diverse songwriting
Cool sounds
Cons:
Can feel repetitive
Not much energy throughout
Close Eyes to Exit is the debut album from Amsterdam based alt-indie band Klangstof. This band is the product of Norwegian singer/songwriter/producer Koen van de Wardt. The record was released in September of 2016 with Mind of a Genius Records & Warner Bros. Records.
This album caught me off guard. I was working my way through the Coachella poster and found myself near the bottom of the Friday setlist only to stumble across Klangstof. I wasn’t sure how to pronounce the name let alone what kind of music to expect. I was happily surprised to find their music was right up my alley. After listening to a few tracks I could tell this band was worth paying attention to. This album doesn’t blow the socks off anyone, but it has solid songwriting, as well as a unique take on an overcrowded genre. What we have here, is an album that surely doesn’t sound like a debut record. Close Eyes to Exit is a piece of music that is impressively mature.
It seems these days that every indie band feels the need to include synths or electronic beats into their music, and a lot of the time, it just makes them sound more generic. It often takes away from the authenticity of the music. Klangstof does not follow this trend. The sound is unique but comfortably familiar to listen to. The track, “Hostage” is oddly relaxing and exciting at the same time. The use of ambient arpeggiators and reverb-toned fingerpicking along with an organic bass gives the production a nice, eerily charming feel.
The vocals have a pretty predictable tone to them, but they fit the bill. That aside, van de Wardt puts on a solid singing performance in many of these tracks. The lyrics focus on themes of insecurity, loss, and anxiety. But despite the somber topics, the music is balanced nicely between darker sounds and a lighter, more peaceful resonance. “We Are Your Receiver” is probably the most positive feeling song on the album, and even that track gives the listener a twinge of nostalgia.
Despite the appearance of a general lack of energy, there are rushes of intensity sprinkled throughout this album in songs like “Ignore Me”, and “Amansworld”. Make sure to listen to the songs all the way through because these songs are much more progressive than the average song. Definitely one of my favorite aspects of this album is that most of the songs don’t follow traditional song structures, most of them start soft and slowly build to epic finishes. This may not always be satisfying for everyone but I enjoy it.
Like I said at the beginning, this album is not a game-changer, but it is refreshing and just the minimum amount of unique to catch people’s attention. The band says they were heavily influenced by Radiohead, so it’ll be fun to see both bands play the same day at Coachella and see the impact it has on Klangstof.
Favorite Songs: “Hostage”, “Amansworld”, “The Butcher”
7.4/10
