(c) Tony Wehnert
Cinematic mental cinema is Marc Fischer’s specialty. The multi-instrumentalist from Würzburg dedicates himself to… Six Days Of Calm largely instrumental post rock of the soundtrack-like variety. The debut album “The Ocean’s Lullaby” skilfully transported you into new worlds on quiet wings with a sound that has a slightly Icelandic character. That’s exactly where it continues, because „My Little, Safe Place“ gets under your skin again with its enchanting, in rare cases thunderous fragility.
Anyone who places a ten-minute song as the opener clearly doesn’t think much of musical compromises. At the same time, “Distance” calls upon all of Fischer’s narrative skills and does so in a primarily cautious manner. Minimal instrumentation, tangible sensitivity, only a late rebellion in the second half – that gets under your skin. When Six Days Of Calm do go out of their way, they do so in a stirring, pulsating way. For minutes there is hair at this climax, which Sigur Rós couldn’t have done better after their clamps. The coda leaves you feeling wonderfully agitated.
Vocals aren’t actually needed, but are a nice bonus. circle&wind appears in “Sorrow” with her delicate, slightly folky voice, which fits the music perfectly and gives the overall quiet, reduced piece another exciting timbre – a magical experiment with a great effect. The following “Uncertainty”, on the other hand, follows the formula of the opener in the broadest sense and, after a hesitant start, flips the imaginary switch, only at first significantly reduced and then louder, surprisingly heavy. This is at least as fun as the buttery, indulgent textures of “Transition”, whose beautiful intensity brings you to your knees in installments.
Six Days Of Calm do so much out of comparatively little, at least at first glance. “My Little, Safe Place” initially appears lovely, almost anonymous, and only picks up late, only slowly takes off and gradually returns the mental cinema aspect to the foreground. But that’s exactly what works so incredibly well. Only a few albums succeed so fantastically in establishing the loud-quiet dynamics of post rock so precisely and – despite the (supposed) formulaicness – pleasantly stubborn. Armed with good headphones, this gem takes you into a whole new world. What a magnificent work.
Rating: 9/10
Available from: November 3rd, 2023
Available via: Midsummer Records (Cargo Records)
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Slider pic (c) Tony Wehnert
Category: Magazin, Reviews