Coalfalls: Pieces | 4ZZZ Brisbane 102.1FM

- Local indie label 4000 Records continues its rise with yet another brilliant new release. This time, it's the second record from Ipswich three-piece Coalfalls, who spellbound us last year with their Stephenson Street/Coalfalls 7”. That single showcased their talents as an atmospheric and dreamlike, yet highly approachable, instrumental trio. Their music is often anchored by a hypnotic drum pulse while simple, melodic bass lines underscore guitar which veers between chiming, ambient and brain-melting.

It's an idea which is beautifully built upon on their new EP Pieces. This time, the sound is fuller and warmer but the intent is essentially the same - utilising minimal chords to expose the music to wide open spaces. At the same time, they are able to change the tone enough to make an engaging wordless pop song, which is immediately evident in the opening track Stone. It manages to make the group's self-admitted reflection on their local surroundings into an evocative piece of music. The song starts on a cruisy note, the beat shuffling amiably while the guitars sound like shards of sunlight shining through the window on a late afternoon. It reaches peaks and valleys from there, culminating in a vaporous build-up of echoing noise.

Next up is From 6:21, a darker beast built around a riff as doomy as anything off The Cure's Faith or Pornography albums. The guitars show off some grit here to keep the amp heads happy.

Finally is the ironically named Intro, which most captures the essence of Coalfalls' dreamy brand of trance rock. Its ten-minute run-time rewards the patient, almost evoking the sun appearing over the horizon as ambient sketches of guitar soundscapes build up to a Neu!-like hypnosis; it's like krautrock adapting to the 4305 postcode.

Fascinatingly for songs that have such a flowing, almost cinematic structure, they were borne from improvisation into fully-formed pieces. To give the songs an organic feel, they were recorded live in one head-down session and the results are immersive and engaging. It's music that is dramatic enough for the noiseniks, yet melodic and emotive enough to appeal to those not necessarily used to the sonic whims of post-rock. Coalfalls' soundscapes are some of the most immediate out there.

- Matt Thrower.