One could try to put a label to the music that "Craang" chose to play but I think it's kind of difficult to specify with a single word this mishmash of genres and influences that got together and gave birth to this final result. If you have never been familiar with "Craang" before then the title of the album "To the Estimated Size of the Universe" surely gives you a starting point to imagine about what you are going to "face" when you listen to it for the first time. The artwork is the second "hint" that leaves you no doubt about it. Nevertheless, neither the title nor the artwork are able to "warn" you about the tons of groove that this gem hides inside.
The album lasts almost 42 minutes and although it is segmented into 4 tracks one could easily say that it is an amazing 42 minute trippy jam. The tracks are so well bonded together to a single "entity" that there is no easy way you can separate one from the whole and distinguish it as "better" or "weaker" or "less powerful". Once you start listening to the first track you only have to wait 30 seconds for the first wave to hit you giving you the clue that for the next 40minutes you are going to mess and mess up your mind with some serious groove.
Fuzzed guitars, solid bass lines, heavy-fuzzed in many cases and always in the foreground just to make sure the result stays as massive as it should be not losing any of its precious volume. A great job has been done on bringing the guitar and the bass in a perfect equilibrium while leaving the drums to surface in the right amount of volume and the cymbals slightly lower, the last one I think is due to the fact that Nick's Ufo-sized-cymbals if given their full-volume potential would cover all the rest ;-) so keeping them a little lower in the mix I suppose was a way to tame these "demons". :-pThe guitar effects are present in many points inside the tracks without exaggerations, giving a more spaced and trippy result in the melodic parts, or a screaming, vast feeling in the more groovy parts. Inside this "perfectly shaped chaos" along come the vocals giving a more cosmic feeling, surfacing inside this fuzzy atmosphere like it is a 4th instrument getting its place next to the others.
Finally a great job has been done in the overall production resulting in a flawless album that will surely catch your attention from the first minute and keep you nailed until the last second.
Having seen "CRAANG" three times during this year in a live gig in three different places I can only say that if you ever have the chance to catch them live just DON'T miss it. If you liked the album you will be stunned by watching them performing it live, transmitting you all those vibes and groove in a more massive way.
The band released the album first in CD and in digital format (available through bandcamp) and earlier this September announced their coop with Pink Tank Records which will release their album in vinyl early in 2015.
Tracklist:
1. Slo Forward Jam (07:54)
2. Butterfly (09:04)
1. Slo Forward Jam (07:54)
2. Butterfly (09:04)
3. Magnolia (09:36)
4. The Meteorian (15:22)
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