As much as the ornate and changable nature of “Dying Clock” shows that A Light Within definitely leans towards the proggy end of the spectrum, the song is also veiled in creeping darkness and shaded, spacious sonics, and it is in these spaces between note and lyric that all manner of gothic-infused atmospheres are conjured.
It’s an interesting and exciting collision of worlds, a blend of Bausausian bleakness and Porcupine Tree’s complexities, Tool’s sonic density, and Floydian dream-drift. I’m sure if you did a layers-of-an-onion style reverse engineering, you would recognise all the elements, but, like all extraordinary music, it isn’t the building blocks themselves that are the focal point, but the stunning sonic architecture they all help construct. (I think I mixed my metaphors a bit there, but I’m sure you know what I’m getting at.)
And so it is here, a deft blend of long, languid sonics that seem to crawl towards the listener, threads of sound that evolve like vines coiling around one another, together more than the sum of their parts. It is a song that evokes a raw, primal grace rather than groove, eschews traditional structures for a more post-rock attitude, possesses its own decaying beauty, and is, at just over nine minutes, more a cinematic sound journey than a song in the usual sense.
And all of these unique concepts, not to mention the avoidance of any trace of musical fad or sonic fashion, are what make it a brilliant piece. Fans of soundscaping rock, proggy adventure, gothic understatement, and filmic creations will adore this, though any discerning music fan will find plenty to love here.
Bandcamp
Facebook
Spotify
Instagram
