Pelagic Records releases How Are We To Fight The Blight, by The Shaking Sensations. They are a Post-Rock/Alternative/Indie Instrumental band from Copenhagen, Denmark, comprising musicians Jens Sorensen on guitar, Mads Hantho on drums, Lasse Vansgaard on bass, Jeppe Nygaard Christensen on guitar, and Christian Wejs Sorensen additionally on drums. They have been active since 2005, but underwent a hiatus from 2013, during which time they worked on new concepts of lost innocence, reflection, and growth and maturity – in order to bring the band back to life.

There is a moderate full band intro with melody guitar and drums quite prominent. I like this opener, 'Twenty Amino Acid'; it’s atmospheric, if a little repetitive. Bass guitar gets the limelight in the middle section. Guitar and drums are added to the mix to take it back to how it started. 'Tremendous Efforts' has a trigger drum beat kicking this off, with the guitar sounding a little like Big Country, whilst the main theme returns to a melody which can’t help but remind you of Blondie’s 'Atomic'. At around the three-minute mark the pace and energy picks-up, this time reminiscent of a film score. 'The Frailness of Your Stem' has a steel guitar sound which rings in the foreground, while another guitar plays acoustic chords underneath. It soon changes to a nice repeated drum pattern and a slower pace which is quite melancholy. This builds in stature, heading back to the earlier sounds but with a difference. This would be a great soundtrack if used to accompany film of nature’s wrath (tidal waves, electrical storms, erupting volcanoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc). Someone try it! At ten minutes, there’s plenty of scope. It reminds me of the Pink Floyd of 1971 – the Live in Pompeii era.

'Manual Trauma' is a simple technical piece. It’s a meticulously paced beat with Big Country raising its metaphorical head again. These are basic rhythms which break and rise again. I would prefer them to vary the sound of the guitar. The tracks have a similar direction, but are enjoyable all the same. It works well as a backdrop to another activity, but not so well as a centrepiece. 'Sightings' has very similar chord sequences. This one is a little different in other respects, although it creates the same mental images as a soundtrack, and the same emotive atmosphere that sadly makes it lose its uniqueness. I do love the drum patterns though.

'End of Hope' consists merely of soundscapes until about the three-minute mark, when an actual tune enters the fray. The samey guitar sound is beginning to grate by now, and there are a couple of vocal ‘ah ahs’ in the background. I hoped that 'In Dead Silence' might possess more cadence, but it’s the same old shoes which by this time are practically worn out. 'Arcadia' is the closer, and it’s pick any one from eight. It’s a real shame because I thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere of the opener. The whole is a different story; it’s somewhat directionless, with neither drive or restraint – it just sort of rumbles along. I’m convinced that if this were an E.P. incorporating only two or three tracks (preferably including 'The Frailness of Your Stem'), I would be singing its praises right now, rather than accepting that this is average fair.

6

Ty Power