Godsticks – The Envisage Conundrum

The windy-yet-catchy songs laid to tape by Godsticks on their second full-length brings to mind like-minded outfits like Oceansize or Porcupine Tree, but such comparisons are only partly accurate; the Welsh trio have a way of playing that's mostly their own. It's a heavier affair than their debut outing, with the more chaotic moments being populated by crunchy guitar tones and ever-changing time-signatures. It could all get so exhausting if it weren't for the album's calmer, celestial sections, like those present on Benchmark or seductive album closer, Raised Concerns.

 

There's plenty of potentially offensive prog rock clichés scattered throughout, like the overly showy keyboard demonstrations on Disclosure, or the noodly guitar-soloing on Borderstomp's final movement, but these sections can easily be forgiven; they make up for it in prettiness. Though it's sometimes stunted by its own lofty ambitions, The Envisage Conundrum mostly manages to captivate with its spaced-out charm and melodic sensibilities. [Ross Watson]