Merchants of Air

exploring the edges of the musical universe

Alas Atlas is a Belgian band that combines dreamy post rock with noisy escapades while flirting with sludge. So if you are a fan of any of these genres you should check out these youngsters at once. The band celebrates their one year anniversary this month and what better way to do this than with an ep. The title is At Ease but believe me, the ep is not that peaceful at all.

Alas Atlas basically uses the same musical structures and build-ups as most post rock bands. The careful use of gentle vocals give the whole concept an extra touch. This way Alas Atlas actually create songs in stead of long lasting instrumental anthems. These songs carefully sneak up on you, settle themselves in your head and suddenly erupt into heavy escapades, leaving you surprised and confused. It's controlled chaos, dressed as beautiful sceneries.

We played the ep a few times at different volume levels and noticed something interesting. It's perfectly suitable for a relaxing evening at home but could also work very well in a heavy live performance. Its definately not the most cheerful sounding in its genre. At Ease is a haunting, noisy and sometimes creepy trip into the mind of the members. We wouldn't be surprised if we hear they sign with a well respected label like Consouling Sounds soon.