tierra firme - eons

Tierra Firme

Eons
self-released; 2013

4.0 out of 5

By Matt Jensen

EONS by Tierra Firme is a 17-track album that will require you to get over your ADD and immerse yourself in the experience. There are a lot of wonderful things going on with the album. One of which is that are essentially a rock band reaching for cosmic heights with guitars. They reminded me a bit of Circulatory System in how they tackle contemplative matters and make them seem unpretentious, accessible and even fun as opposed to being super serious. Of course none of this would work if the songs weren't good and more often than not this band writes tunes that are above average and sometimes memorable. 

Tierra Firme is a guitar band and they do a great job a creating a shoegaze, celestial type ambience that perseveres over the album. They use a lot of reverb but more importantly the guitar parts are inventive. Sometimes you have multiple leads playing over themselves other times they make their guitars sound like crystallized lasers. The bottom line is that the album offers a rich variety of guitar that kept me intrigued throughout. 

While the guitars are great, I don’t want to undercut some of the other components of the music.  Erick Pineda’s vocal style works in unison with the music. He sounds laid back, never too full of himself and overall he has a number of very attractive qualities about his voice. Bass and drums create a solid foundation for the guitars. Usually the parts don't get too fancy but simply add a very efficient rhythm section. 

The album starts off with “Origins” which is one helluva song. There is an ethereal quality to it that is juxtaposed with a lo-fi indie rock band sound. The guitar sounds more like reflections of light rather than strings and the melodies are contrasting and unique. Its a great way to open the album and had me ready for the journey. 

“Empires” is more of a straightforward indie pop gem while “Deluge” sounds like you put a microphone right up the esophagus of a demon and pressed record. 

“Populous 2” has some of the best guitar work on the album. The guitars sound like celestial comets passing over the atmosphere. Don’t skip over this one. One of the songs that relied on a very catchy, memorable vocal melody was “Light.” The track is spacious and is one of the highlights of the album as Pineda sings “I’ll see you in the light.”

I would be lying if I said 17 tracks was a breeze to get through. It took a couple of sittings to fully ingest the album but after I did I’m happy I took the plunge. EONS never feels self-indulgent and offers good songs with production that benefits the mood. 

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