Comfort is yet another fine discovery from Belgian experimental label Off. The band’s core is an Italian trio -- Alessandro Baris, Fabio Elia, and Leonardo Chirulli -- who use both live and electronic instrumentation to create lush compositions that marry ambient soundscapes with more traditional post-rock instrumental dynamism. Though Sleep Talking Shared is notable for its tranquility, there is a staggering diversity in mood and texture from song-to-song. Equally impressive is the concision of its tracks, all of which fall between three and five minutes. Quiet and gentle as the album, the succinct quality of the individual songs gives the whole thing a sense of immediacy that similar albums lack.
Like the best of the Off stable — Strings of Consciousness and Colorlist, for example — Comfort excels at creating wordless compositions that evoke real human drama. It’s music that tells a story, or perhaps more accurately, it’s music that prompts the listener to construct a story. My favorite piece is the quietly ominous “The Missed Environment.” The first minute-and-a-half consists of little more than an ambient pulse and some muted percussion, which are suddenly interrupted by a hissing tape loop of violin playing. The effect is truly ghostly, like a scratched record playing endlessly on a gramophone in the basement of a condemned house. Contrast this with “Where the Walk Is Slow,” a soothing, keyboard-driven lullaby. The twittering electronics and soft, throbbing beats could be the sound of insects chirping or a flowing stream.
If there’s one flaw in the album, it’s that the whole thing is a little front-loaded. The last four tracks are all good enough on their own, but none manage to summon the same kind of wonder or atmospheric density as early installments like “Shape” or “Iceberg.” Still, Comfort manages an incredible feat with Sleep Talking Shared. They craft quiet, subtle compositions without ever wandering into elevator music territory. Easy listening has never been so rich or rewarding.
1. Shape
2. Where the Walk Is Slow
3. The Missed Environment
4. Florian
5. Iceberg
6. Concreto e Indefinito
7. Stammering Valves
8. Contemporary Nocturne
9. Organic Deca-Dance
10. He Moves His Head Back
More about: Comfort
