Style: Art pop, post-industrial (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Radiohead/Thom Yorke, Anathema, Einar Solberg, Lunatic Soul
Country: United Kingdom
Release date: 12 July 2024
Anathema is easily one of, if not the, most emotional bands in prog I know of. While on the simpler end of the spectrum in terms of instrumental complexity, they had a special knack for getting the absolute maximum emotional impact out of their arrangements, lyrics, and vocal delivery. Sadly, however, the band had gone into indefinite hiatus for unclear reasons well before I got into their music. They played an immense part in processing the grief for the loss of my father two years ago, as well as providing an emotional outlet for a failed relationship—I can only imagine how cathartic it would have been to catch them live. Oh well, all things must pass, they say. Fortunately for me though, their frontman Vincent Cavanagh carried on the band’s spirit in his solo project The Radicant, whose debut EP We Ascend is also the subject of today’s review.
It should bring fellow Anathema fans some comfort that We Ascend is very much in line with the electronic direction the band had been pursuing on Distant Satellites and The Optimist. However, without the fellow tearjerker vocals of Lee Douglas and the instrumentation of the rest of the band, The Radicant is a far less emotionally explosive project, aiming instead for ethereal beauty, the fleeting emotions felt when watching the sunset. We Ascend is carried by dreamy synth layers, sparse piano usage, and electronic percussion; similarly, Vincent goes all in on the soft, ethereal vocals while leaving his rock mode at home.
The title track opener best exemplifies this, building the texture from light piano keys and rustling synths that fall upon my ears like rays of sunshine to a full body experience sonic cushion of warmth and light up above the clouds—meanwhile Vincent goes for a vulnerable approach at first and guest singer Sarah Derat focuses on texture, but later they come together to harmonize “ascend” as the ethereal synth layers explode. The song’s one-word chorus makes for a very effective opener, and its crescendo structure is of course deeply familiar for Anathema fans. Similarly, the closer “Stowaway” sets out to let you cozily drift off into the sunset on waves of increasingly enveloping lush synths—still adhering to the familiar post-rock structure but less explosive and more contemplative in nature.
But not all is lush and fluffy—the middle tracks provide some more bite to the EP. “Zero Blue (NSS Mix)” is centered around drum and bass style percussion by Daniel Cardoso, giving it a more active character that strongly recalls tracks like “Leaving it Behind” or “Can’t Let Go” from The Optimist, while “Anchor” starts quietly but explodes with another hard backbeat and ominous industrial synths. “Wide Steppe” gives us more lush crescendo-core—something which admittedly is a tad overdone on this EP—but the anxious synths that start to underpin the track halfway through bring back tension and its psychedelic sound design keeps it fresh.
While, compared to late Anathema, The Radicant isn’t on the same level of explosive emotional potency, I do think We Ascend shows a lot of promise and creative growth in its approach to textural electronic songwriting. Vincent Cavanagh still clearly knows how to wring a tear from his listeners, he’s just more subdued with it this time. I’ll be looking forward to an eventual full length release with this project; after all, it’s been far too long without my favorite melancholy dealer around.
Recommended tracks: We Ascend, Stowaway
You may also like: Midas Fall, Alora Crucible, Silent Skies, i Häxa
Final verdict: 7.5/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | RYM page
Label: KScope Music – Bandcamp | Facebook | Official Website
The Radicant is:
– Vincent Cavanagh (vocals, instruments, programming, artwork & design)
With other staff and guests:
– Ténèbre (instruments, programming, mixing)
– Sam John (mastering)
– Sarah Derat (vocals on “We Ascend” and “Stowaway”)
– Amy Wood (vocals on “Wide Steppe”)
– Daniel Cardoso (drums on “Zero Blue (NSS Mix)”)
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