Location:
USA, AR

Category:
Rock

Try if you like:
Black Heart Procession, Mum, The Album Leaf

•   Icarus
•   Mother Star Sun

At first I thought Mar must be an Icelandic band but actually the band hails from Arkansas. Their first album, The Silence was indeed recorded in Iceland but The Sound, their sophomore album, was recorded in a studio in a cabin located in Eureka Springs at the heart of the Ozark Mountains. The setting works for a very intimate record and one most post-rock fans should pay attention to. The band is most Kyle Reidy's project but he does bring in a lot of other players to help out.

Just to give you an idea of how soft and gentle this album is, you can hear a bunch of background clinks and bangs on 'Cabin Fever'. Surprisingly this doesn't deter from the music, instead it brings out a live-like quality to the production. The whole album isn't like this though and from what I hear this album is a lot more upbeat than their debut. The band likes to play with sonics and loops as shown on "Farewell".

There are times when I'm reminded slightly of one of my favorite bands, The Appleseed Cast. Mostly in vocal delivery and production work on some of the more upbeat tracks like "The Athiest". 

The Sound almost got by me without a thorough listen. Don't let it happen to you. Give it a shot.