(((((OPENmind/SATURATEDbrain))))): IRA

Friday 9 January 2015

IRA

Band: IRA

Genres: Punk / Post-Rock / Post-Hardcore / Post-Metal / Sludge / Emo / Alternative / Indie Rock / Ambient
Related artists: Blindspot A.D and Aspen.
Country: Konstanz, GERMANY
Years Active: 2004-present
Song: "Long Live the Parts I"
Album: "The Body and the Soil"
Year: 2005
Label(s): Go-Kart Records / Golden Antenna Records / VinylOverDose
This post's artist is from the January 2014 Mix. This is track #4.
You can download: the January Mix#12 right here or get the new February 2015 Mix#1 here.
For fans of: Aeges, Hum, Radiohead, Cave In, Codeseven, Pelican, Disappearer, Black Love, Hum, Red Sparrows, Quicksand, Mono, Boris and Depeche Mode.

Longer, sprawling post-everything that pairs melodic singing with anguished screams, ambient textures with huge climaxes, methodically structured builds that are torn apart with heavier moments, generally at the end of the betters songs. IRA created a myriad of song stylings, influences and length as some tracks barely eclipse 3 minutes while others hover at almost 15!

The 10-minute opener from the band's strongest (and heaviest) endeavour 'The Body and the Soil' "Soil" soars around like an eagle searching for prey and finds it at the 3-minute mark, At this juncture the band goes pretty heavy into a breakdown and screaming "Is your ear on the ground? It's all in the soil." only to twinkle the shit out of the listener again after 4:20. This chill section continues the lyrical theme at 5:20, eventually leading to, "Now put your hands on the ground, pick up a leaf of grass," that I end up singing for days. "Long Live the Parts I" opens with some massive instrumentals that meander through both English and German lyrics before hitting halfway through the 5-minute mark, screaming "LONG LIVE, LONG LIVE, LONG LIVE. LONG LIVE THE PARTS!".
"Long Live the Parts II" plods along with pounding, escalating drums and eventually some nicely placed crooning until 4 minutes in when IRA melts the speakers with another screaming/growling stint into destruction and further lyrics of, "Long live the parts!". This is truly a great album that I've literally never been able to talk to about to anyone due to geographical bollocks/musical obscurity. I think of the four elements when listening to this, as it has it all. Definitely jam this record cuz it's fucking solid and I included it in the download here.

"Everybody is in the Mood for Dying" is the only song off the latter two albums that really caught my attention, as it manages to mix some heavier, sludgier instrumentals to mix with the purely melodic vocals. The whole thing comes off as a better sounding Hum song, with more elements and vocals that have a bit more variety.

I didn't even know IRA had a new album until I checked their wordpress site whilst writing this review. 'Ghost Tones' further follows the ambient, post-rock path that the band solidified with 'These are the Arms' and tone it down even more. If stream water was music, this would be the liquid equivalent - soothing, warming, relaxing and soft. It's not really for me, but a decent release for those who dig that kind of sound. My wife says "My Mind is an Algorithm" sounds like Depeche Mode...so yeah...Depeche Mode meets a less interesting Radiohead.

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DISCOGRAPHY
Click )==>here<==( to download the band's pre-2014 discography in mp3 form.

2005 - The Body and the Soil cd/12"LP (purchase cd here)

2009 - Visions of a Landscape cd/1.5x12"LP

2011 - These are Arms cd/10"LP (purchase cd here)

2014 - Ghost Tones LP (stream/purchase here)

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(2005) IRA - "Long Live the Parts I" (from 'The Body and the Soil')