Review: Jakub Tirco – Alaska

Style: progressive metal/post metal (instrumental)
Recommended for fans of: David Maxum Micic, Plini, Scale the Summit
Review by: Nick
Country: The Czech Republic
Release date: 29 July, 2022

It’s funny, last year I was all over the post rock scene. I was zeroed in and knew of any and every release that dropped and this year I sort of just…stopped caring? I think I just got fatigued because, let’s be real, it’s an easy genre to do. This leads to a torrent of albums coming out which leads to a torrent of disinterest, so to say I’ve been out of touch this year would be an understatement. 

Keep this in mind when I call Jakub Tirco’s Alaska my post rock album of the year thus far. Has there been a better release? Maybe. Have I heard it? Not yet. Coming from the Czech Republic, Jakub seems to have made a name for himself with just a couple EPs, and from listening back through them I get why! Even from his first release, Introspection, he clearly has a strong talent for the post metal leaning side of prog. A couple of his collaborators are familiar names (namely Adam Janzi of VOLA and Baard Kolstad of Leprous) which is really what tipped me off to the fact that this dude may be something special. And something special he is. This debut full length is, while not an absolute masterpiece, a very solid and worthy entry into the world of post-influenced instrumental prog.

There have been way too many occasions during my time on this blog where I will say that a band has put forth a good effort, but has yet to realize their potential. Thankfully this isn’t the case here, Tirco has learned a lot throughout his last six years publishing material. The production is very clear and makes it easy to focus on any given instrument to really hear what they’re doing. The pacing is very pleasantly done in a way that never gets boring. The melodies, oh my GOD the melodies are just fan-fucking-tastic.

If you’ve noticed anything overall about my review so far, I hope you notice that it’s pretty shallow. Normally people would absolutely not say that, but I have a point to make. Just like with a review, you can fill in as many blanks as you want with pretty adjectives, describing the sound or whatever may come to mind, but a good review will really go into the meat of the album. I’m not here because, while I still wholeheartedly claim this is my post rock album of the year (thus far), I’m going to have to call a spade a spade and a shallow album a shallow album.

Perhaps it’s the very “digital” feel. Everything seems neat and intricately organized, almost algorithmically designed to be ear candy. And it is ear candy. It’s very pleasant to listen to and lose yourself in, but very VERY difficult to do so. To put it bluntly: beautiful melodies and instrumentation alone don’t make a memorable post rock album, at least in my opinion. It’s just a flashy songwriting showcase that has little to no emotional impact. There’s no playing with tension and release, there’s no playing with dynamics and morphing tracks, it’s just very straightforward noodling with an overly polished feel. Think more the aesthetic of Scale the Summit than traditional post metal.

I will lampshade my criticism by saying it could very well be the more shallow headspace I’ve been in in terms of music lately, with more of a focus on lyricism and emotion than anything else. This album may be absolutely killer if you’re looking for some cool songwriting and rad noodling, because this has those two in spades. Overall if you’re a fan of artists like David Maxim Micic or Plini and want more of that exact sound except maybe more lifeless than the former, then for sure give this a listen. Hell, even if you just like post metal in general give this one a shot. Maybe something will leave an impression on you, maybe you’ll just get a quick rush of serotonin and move on. Regardless of what happens, big ups to Jakub Tirco on this fine release.

Recommended tracks: The End of All Things, Mixed Signals
You may also like: Outrun the Sunlight, The Elephant in the Room, Hecla
Final verdict: 8/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram
Label: Independent

Jakub Tirco is:
– Jakub Tirco (most everything)
– Palo Balcak (drums)