DECODER RING – THEY BLIND THE STARS, AND THE WILD TEAM

Decoder Ring came to the attention of many with their soundtrack to the acclaimed movie Somersault. They consolidated their reputation with Fractions, but failed to really expand upon their palette, and could easily have maintained that safe, respectable, but far from outstanding path. Thankfully they have stepped up and beyond with They Blind the Stars, and the Wild Team. There are two key elements to Decoder Ring; both vital, neither defining. Firstly; undoubtedly their experience in working on a soundtrack so early in their career has given them an understanding of the subtleties and dynamics required for the cinema, the small, potent brushstrokes that create a wider, larger picture. And secondly, they are, for all their protestations, a post-rock band in the way that Mogwai, Sigur Ros and Godspeed You Black Emperor! are – that is they use the traditional rock structures of guitar, bass, drums and keys to create something far beyond. And on They Blind the Stars they have taken these elements, deconstructed them, reconstructed them, ignored them and reworked them. This is a grand work, deserving of a grandiose space. Close your eyes and you could/should be in the Opera House Concert Hall, sound swelling around you, hearing the subtlest pin drop followed by the most magnificent rush of sound – as personified in 100 Suns – or following the throbbing bass and pulsating rhythm of Beat the Twilight. Astoundingly good … and that’s only the first disc.

**** 1/2