BnB Review: Walls - Coracle (Kompakt)
Written by Youri Jozee
Electronica - Following the release of their 2010’s lauded debut album, Walls return to Kompakt with their second album Coracle on which the duo take a more dance-orientated stance…
Walls is not just your ordinary electronic music act. Sure, the name of the outfit may not ring a bell immediately to most of the EDM community, but their self-titled debut album did pick up Mojo’s Electronic Album Of The Year award. The band soon garnered an international following including outspoken fans such as Jamie XX, Caribou, James Holden and Battles, which must mean they do something right. Walls’ second album Coracle slightly moves away from the duo’s anticipated lush electronica sound and takes a more dance-focused route with hints of modified Detroit techno, Apparat-style soundscapes and synthpop mixed in. However, it’s not the kind of stuff you’d expect to hear on the floors. It still retains Walls’ trademarked dream-pop electronica vibe, a sound that takes serious skills to master, and ‘dance’ in this context actually refers to nodding your head while engaging in some serious Sunday afternoon sofa surfing. Now, can Walls raise the stakes set by their own debut album?
Definitely. Coracle has become another envelope-pushing tour de force of 8 wonderful ‘walls of sound’, shoegaze electronica if you will, with the result being an extremely enjoyable listening experience. Opening track Into Our Midst sounds like a mixture of jazz, slo-mo house and shoegaze, with soft strings and several layers of keys making up a nicely chilled track. Yet, it is on the easiest of tracks on this compilation that Walls’ incredible talent in creating mid-bending electronica is truly exposed. Heat Haze, Vacant and the early Sigur Ros-styled Drunken Galleon are genius, while rhythm-fueled tracks such as Il Tedesco and Sunporch are perfect first examples of Walls’ timid flirts with the dancefloor.
Our verdict:
Coracle emphasizes Walls’ prolific skills in creating faceted, soundscape-fabricated electronica with a twist, and is one of those rare albums that are best enjoyed in a single listen. An unpolished gem, Coracles manages to expose new themes and stories like a delicate flower blossoming.
Rating: 8.3/10
Label: Kompakt
Release date: September 26th, 2011
Tracklist (move over the tracks to listen):
1. Into Our Midst
2. Heat Haze
3. Sunporch
4. Il Tedesco
5. Vacant
6. Raw Umber / Twilight
7. Ecstatic Truth
8. Drunken Galleon
