port-royal – Dying in Time

Max Richter

"oyal - Dying in Time"

19 November 2009, 09:19 | Written by Rich Hughes

(Albums)

(Max Richter)

Hold on a second ”“ what’s this? An Italian post-rock band? Wonders will never cease! And, they’re not that new either. port-royal (notice the lowercase and hyphenated name) have been around since 2000, releasing four previous albums, a host of EP’s and contributing to a raft of compilations. Also, like most modern bands, they seem to be a collective ”“ cutting and pasting band members at each step and which ever musical thread is prevalent at that particular recording time.However history, as always, is only part of the story: It’s really all about the music. Dying In Time is a wondrous and uplifting slice of modern music. Let’s not get bogged down in whether it’s post-rock, ambient, modern-classical or, indeed, some alien brand of trip-hop. Dying In Time possesses elements of all these genres, but blends them in such a way as they feel natural, that music has always sounded like this and possessed these qualities that inspire feelings of joy and wonder.Their contemporaries would include M83, Vessels or Max Richter ”“ this is music that favours instrumentals and sounds over vocals. ‘Nights in Kiev’ and ‘Anna Ustinova’ wouldn’t sound out of place on Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts for example, with it’s movie style voiceover and clipped, thunderous beats. Unlike, say, Vessels, guitars are pretty much nonexistent. To read that port-royal started out as a bedroom project using 4-track recorders shouldn’t be a surprise ”“ you can imagine their live show involving them standing behind the now ubiquitous Macbooks, pushing away at keys as lights flicker around them.But that would suggest this is an unnatural, processed sound, and that does Dying in Time a disservice. As the album title suggests, there’s a human element to this and it feels organic. There’s a heart and a brain behind these sounds, developing this humane framework in which it sits. And, like a real consciousness, there are moments of darkness and moments of light. The delicate opening to ‘Exhausted Muse / Europe’ floats and picks its way through the misty clouds of an Autumnal morning, whilst the Top 40 Euro-pop of ‘The Photoshopped Prince’ should soundtrack nightclubs the continent over with its euphoric beats and feel-good lyrics. It doesn’t stop there either. There’s a playfulness here as well, see ‘Balding Generation (Losing Hair As We Lose Hope)’ as an example. Sparkling synths shine like the big, balding beacon it name-checks whilst shifting vocals wash over them until the beats kick in, turning this into another hidden-pop gem. Honestly, I can’t think of a reason why this album isn’t massive.The darkness comes from the slower, more drone-inspired spectrums of sound, like ‘Hermitage Pt 1’ and ‘Hermitage Pt 2’. This is the more experimental arm of port-royal, creating shimmering waves of sound over more laid back beats and are deeply introspective. They’re wonderful segues of music, like placeholders for the more uplifting movements, and without them Dying In Time just wouldn’t work.As 2009 falters to a close, we come to review the year and, indeed, the decade, as a whole. In these endless lists of lists there’ll be hidden gems just waiting to be unearthed. If you’re after something particularly hidden and particularly awesome, then look no further.