Friday 12 December 2014

Albums of the Year 2014 #11 A Winged Victory For The Sullen - Atomos


As one gets older the concept of what good music is grows ever more complex. We might start from a position of melody, tunes and things that you can sing along to but as life unfolds, so does music, into a broader idea of what it is and what it can encompass. 

The music of A Winged Victory For The Sullen and their album Atomos very much fits into this later category. There are no tunes, no melodies as such, but instead a serene and sensitive score created from the worlds of classical, ambient and minimalism, similar to the work of someone like Phillip Glass. Atomos is a record that creates a world of quiet introspection, thoughtfulness, possibly even sleepiness as the strings, piano and electronic sounds glide in and out of range.

Each track on this beautiful record is named simply Atomos with a roman numeral after it. However there is no Atomos IV. We’re not sure why, but if you say the title out loud then maybe it makes some sense. A little joke perhaps? Whatever the reason, these atmospheres are ones to soak up. At worst Atomos could be described as a thinking man's (or woman's) / sensitive indie kid's chillaxing album, but we'd prefer to describe it as an outstanding and timeless piece of work.

A Winged Victory For The Sullen - Atomos (Trailer)

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