A good few years on from the initial explosion (in the sky) of post-rock acts, the musical terrain has changed. The genre may have expanded to incorporate myriad elements of an unprecendentedly disparate nature, spanning shoegaze to metal, but has essentially settled into a rather cozy niche populated by an ever-expanding number of obscure and somewhat samey bands loved by people too introvert, intellectual and self-conscious to be emo. It’s often easy to forget , then, just how exciting post-rock could be – and can be, as evidenced by GIAA’s latest offering. It has all the hallmarks of great post-rock, not least of all the ponderous meandering sections punctuated by colossal crescendos. But more than that, it actually rocks.
The surging ‘Salistoga’ is driven by sturdy drumming and hits a soaring climax. In contrast, the brooding piano and mournful trumpet on ‘Reverse World’ slows the tempo and changes the mood before a grating guitar burns through the mix. In fact, it’s fair to say that with ‘Origins’, GIAA remind us how they’re masters of contrast and have a deep understanding on the importance of dynamics. Layered shoegaze guitars contrast with grainy basslines, and while the vapour trails of ‘Weightless’ is a gauze-like semi-ambient piece, ‘Exit Dream’ manifests as a choppy post-punk number, propelled by a stuttering drum machine beat.
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‘Origins’ is an album that effectively redefines post-rock, pushes the parameters far and wide. Ultimately, with ‘Origins’, God is An Astronaut prove that post-rock doesn’t have to be introspective, indulgent, meandering and dull, and has the capacity to be unpredictable, innovative and exhilarating.
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