I've been feeling nostalgic for early-aughts indie/post-rock, and after some revisiting, I'm happy to report that Dream Signals in Full Circles is still my favorite Tristeza record. This band has always operated on a much subtler tip than most of their instrumental post-rock peers, eschewing extended crescendos and firework payoffs in favor of lower-key, relatively laid-back sounds. As you might guess, this means that some of their stuff tends to fade into the background. On their second album, Dream Signals in Full Circles, they nailed it. True to the album's name, these pieces feel both dreamlike and circular, moving amorphously through ever-so-slightly shifting cycles -- aided by some cool, dub-influenced bass lines -- before drifting on to the next sequence without resolution.
Track listing:
1. Building Peaks
2. Respirá
3. City of the Future
4. Shift Drifty
5. Auroura Borealis
6. I Am a Cheetah
7. Chiaroscuro
8. Are We People
9. Opiate Slopes
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This is lovely, thankyou. Reminds me of Dif Juz, which is never a bad thing.
ReplyDeleteI put this on and thought the guitars sounded a bit midwesterny. Sure enough, Discogs tells me members were in a few shortlived Michigan emocore bands prior to Tristeza. I dig it.
ReplyDeletedamn this is lovely. which other albums of theirs should i get into?
ReplyDeleteMy second favorite of theirs is definitely March of the White Lies -- it's very different, much more of an electronic/IDM feel. From there, probably Spine & Sensory, but it's kind of a toss-up. Most of their stuff sounds relatively similar to Dream Signals, but the songwriting is generally a bit more complex and uptempo, which for me makes it a bit easier to lose track of, but I'm sure a lot of people prefer that approach.
DeleteA hometown favorite, I saw these guys many times in SD in the late 90's early 2000's. When Chris moved to the Bay area many years later and the band evolved after Jimmy left to do Album Leaf, they did a few more albums with a slightly different lineup, and it was really great too. Highly recommend Fate Unfolds, I saw them play stuff from that album in West Oakland and was blown away. I also stumbled on some surf video that was using their music, which was kind of perfect!
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