Reflectivore - Reflectivore

Reflectivore

​Reflectivore
self-released; 2015

4.0 out of 5

By Matt Jensen

The two core members of Reflectivore, Rusch and Cragin have a good amount of contribution on their recent self-titled album Reflectivore. Three drummers, a couple bass players and more helped make this exceptional album come to fruition.

This album is emotionally resonant, full of different tones and textures and is a pleasure to listen to from beginning to end. There are elements of shoegaze, post-rock and experimental all over this album. The band Sigur Ros came to mind a couple of times and I think that is because of the scope of some of the songs. It often feels huge and ethereal as if the music is made by beings that aren’t mortal and reside in a different plane of existence. The most grounded thing about the music is the lead vocals.

The album opens with “Ticonderoga” which starts with piano and drums but it’s the looming guitar feedback in the background that gives it an otherworldly feel. As the progresses it feels subdued and I say that in a good way. This is a song that had potential to go grand but the band in a pro move saves some of that stuff for later. “Ticonderoga” stays firmly on the ground with inventive guitar and piano riff while having the added bonus of creative lyrics. He sings, “do they wanna set my hands on fire do they wanna know my other names sun on water stone on stone and all my possessions in the lake.”

“Flight 7 77” is a seven-minute song which certainly takes away from the post-rock genre aesthetic while deviating from some of the tropes you tend to hear. l enjoyed the angel-esque vocal harmonies  around the two-minute mark. The song sounds as if it floating into the ether.

“Red Looking Glass” is where the band is beginning to sound like they are harnessing the energy of the universe and taking off. Around the three-minute mark is where the magic starts to happen. The guitar sounds like it is a hemorrhaging comet burning up in space while the reverb laced vocals harmonies instill a sense of wonder.

“Organ Grinder” is the most heavy song on the album, almost going into metal territory. They almost went too metal for my liking compared to the rest of the songs but they managed to keep it ethereal and experimental. The closer “Black Holy” has numerous vocal styles. Towards the end the vocalist sounded like an alternate version of Zack de la Rocha.

Reflectivore isn’t without some flaws but they are minor compared to what the duo has accomplished. There is a lot of good stuff happening here. Highly Recommended.

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