New Zealand is quite a long distance away from the United States, and whenever I hear New Zealand mentioned, Lewis Black's (the comedian and political commentator) sketch about performing there always pops in my mind "
if you fly to New Zealand by plane from New York City it takes twenty-two hours
if they really wanted to be more of part of the community, they should jump off their island and push it closer
" So, when a band from New Zealand presents itself, the intrigue surrounding how this type of isolation will shape the music that they produce is usually pretty high; Ender is just such a group and their eponymous album is the sonic document with which they enter the world.
The expansive and calming sounds that this two piece (on record anyway) conjure are definitely staggering, particularly for a first release. Ender utilize swelling volumes and harbor the ability to effectively demonstrate dynamic manipulation well within their compositions, which all seem to have quite a dramatic sound. During the quiet parts of their songs (see the beginning of "Part One" and the first half or so of "Part Three") the duo creates an aural sense of space while the loud parts certainly contain a sense of largesse as the big guitar sounds (sections of "Part Two" are proof of this) and pounding drums definitely make an impact. The melodic guitar lines work in the songs (some even more than others), but if there is one area for further improvement by Ender, it would probably make these parts of the songs stronger (even this critique is kind of picking).
Ender's self-titled (or untitled) first record is a mostly excellent affair that does have the capacity to capture listeners' imaginations with their own take on the instrumental "post rock" style of music. All four tracks weave melody, droning guitars, dynamic interplay, and all around solid song writing to comprise a good first record. Since the recording of this record, Ender has expanded to a five piece outfit, which could make for exciting follow up releases to this one. More than just a worthwhile entry into what is becoming a diverse and ever expanding style of music, Ender are a band to look for good things from in the future. Count me amongst their fans, and I recommend this to any aficionado of the genre because you surely should not be disappointed.
