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THIS WILL DESTROY YOU
TUNNEL BLANKET
(HOBBLEDEHOY)
***1/2
REVIEWED 28.09.11
How do you describe or define an emotion? Everyone knows the textbook definition of words like ‘sad’ and ‘angry’, but what do these words actually mean? Human emotion is unique to the person. If the emotion that manifests itself within the individual is the product of distinctive circumstances and a sole personality, how could we ever hope to describe it to someone who isn’t ourselves? Texan band This Will Destroy You has come close to answering this question.
What makes Tunnel Blanket, the band’s third album, so compelling is its vastness. Each song on this album is a lush environment that the listener can explore, taking in all of the minute details and intricacies that are layered upon one another. The album opener, Little Smoke, begins in an ambient drone so faint it’s barely audible. Three minutes later, the seemingly peaceful world is ripped down and chaos reigns.
It is this back and forth, the quiet/loud approach, that makes Tunnel Blanket such an immersive listening experience and buoys the listener’s expectations and emotions from one track to the next.
Ryan Lynch
