While the soaring riffs and celestial atmospherics of a typical God Is An Astronaut album are present on 12th album Embers, the County Wicklow, Ireland post-rock veterans’ scope is now wider than it’s ever been. A palette of sitar, zither and tanpura help broaden the scale, giving a Middle-Eastern flavour to the marching dirge of album opener Apparition. Falling Leaves is a gorgeously languid track that unfurls over eight minutes and blossoms into something exquisite. Embers is perhaps more pensive than previous average God Is An Astronaut albums, but this wistful contemplation pays dividends, particularly on the astonishing 10-minute title track. This is the sound of a band pushing limits in their take on grandiose post-rock. ■■■■■■■■
FOR FANS OF: Russian Circles, Soundgarden, If These Trees Could Talk