Purely instrumental bands have the difficult task of speaking to the listener without actually speaking to them, creating a new dynamic to take into account when writing songs. While not telling you anything specific or literal, the instruments set the mood for each song, reflecting the feelings of the band and projecting it to the listener.
Another Language clearly outlines a rough patch for This Will Destroy You. As described by the band's label, they finished recording the album after a "prolonged vacuous dark period that threatened to break both the band and the members themselves." Whatever turmoil the band went through translates into Another Language with powerful force, creating a piece full of sorrow, but leaving a light at the end of the tunnel.
Each song sticks to similar patterns, beginning with simple, spaced out melodies that gradually escalate into tidal waves of distorted sounds and raw instrumentals. The waning of isolated guitars in "New Topia" creates an illusion of loneliness, only to be superseded by a wall of crashing symbols, completely changing the atmosphere of the song, occupying the once empty air with a claustrophobic sheet of sound.
The transitions between silence and uproar act as a yin and yang of emotions, setting initial tones and slowly building toward a complete shift in pace. This method of song structure becomes exhausted throughout the album, as song after song exhibits this pattern, which threatens the individuality of each song and makes them hard to distinguish from one another.
But the repetitive structure shouldn't imply lazy effort, as Another Language sounds beautiful from front to back. It's an emotional expedition that gives you the sense that you're retracing your steps, but you don't really mind because it's a path that looks just as pretty another time around.
Rating: B
