Review
Thisquietarmy
Resurgence

Existing purely on the periphery of my personal aural hemisphere due to their touring with and collaborating with several artists and bands that I avidly follow but never getting around to actually listening to their records, Thisquietarmy has eluded my attentions for far too long and Resurgence seemed like the perfect opportunity to check out this prolific artist; but maybe it is because of my assumptions of just who I have associated this act with, I was initially unprepared for but pleasantly surprised by the sounds found on this album.

Resurgence certainly has great aspects and qualities that make an album a great listening experience like the thick atmospheres and glorious and lush drones, but what really draws me to this record is the way in which Thisquietarmy seems to make their songs infectious like a good pop record can be; and, what is even better about this quality, is the subtle and unassuming way that you realize it the first time that this element hits you, right about when the throbbing boss and post punk beat of “Revival” seamlessly transitions from “Rebirth.” The seamless nature of Resurgence continues to be a recurring motif as song after song drifts by with hypnotic drones and ambience and wickedly unobtrusive drum beats that somehow also sound incredibly hypnotic and enthralling while there is that piece (the aptly named “Whispers In The Trees” or “Whirring Brain”) that pops up throughout that is all soaring atmosphere and mood (which is more along the lines of what I was initially expecting from Thisquietarmy) or that almost grinding moment (check out Mechanical Heart) that still maintains the hypnotic malaise amidst the heavy distortion.

What a nice album to really dive into and get to know, Resurgence really is a gorgeous record with lots of lush arrangements and sounds that are soothing to the ears; Thisquietarmy fashions a massive entry into its discography here, and (I do not usually say this) perhaps this is the major fault that I find in that Resurgence is so incredibly long that I do feel my mind wander while it is playing (and not in the drifting off in a pleasant reverie of the album’s quality kind of way but rather in a wondering what I will put on next kind of way). All of that aside, the record is a good record to chill out to and has some awesome moments that make it more than just worthwhile to check out for your own listening pleasure.