Not even the biggest admirer of Tangled Thought of Leaving’s (TToL) previous efforts, especially the band’s stellar contribution to the split with sleepmakeswaves, could have anticipated the glory of Deaden the Fields. The album is a breath of fresh air to the instrumental rock scene, a masterful combination of prog rock, jazz, noise, and glitch. From time to time, it focuses on the melody and repetition inherent of post-rock, but it succeeds brilliantly in balancing this with technical prowess without compromising mood and texture. The drumming is outrageously innovative, “Landmarks” and “They Found My Skull in the Nest of the Bird” are exceptional examples of such, and the piano lines are just as innovative and work as a solid backbone to the guitars and bass, which do a wonderful job in moving in their own trajectories without compromising the sound of the band as a coherent whole. In a little over sixty minutes of music contained within this album, there isn’t a moment that could be described as boring or generic, and the whole album plays out with such immaculate dynamism that it makes the whole experience a wonderful addition to one’s daily music rotation. TToL has proven yet again that Australia will never cease to present us with fantastic artists with the knack for experimentalism; 2011 might be over but you won’t have achieved full closure until you’ve listened to this album.

-Mohammed Ashraf