Sirens & Slumber is the rather massive-sounding debut album from Mountaineer, a post-rock band from California, and it serves as an all-round solid introduction to the band.
The musical soundscapes are stunning, painting the most beautiful picture as the album progresses from one track to the next, and it will definitely give you goosebumps. Mountaineer know how to write music to get under your skin and the emotion dripping from the musical performance is phenomenal. The crushingly heavy sections juxtapose so well against the softer moments amd everything flows well from one song to the next.
However, at times the vocals do seem to let the band down. The tone doesn’t quite seem to fit, as there isn’t an awful lot of support behind the vocals and they’re somewhat weak and unsubstantial, which is a shame when the music is so lush and gorgeous. A smoother or less abrupt approach would go a long way and result in a listen that is a little easier to take in.
As a whole, Sirens & Slumber is still a great listen and certainly worth a spin. The foundations have definitely been laid for what could be a successful career for this talented band.
7/10
