Praying for the Be(a)st 2011

"The second installment in a triptych, Praying for the Be(a)st continues the story of the character introduced on Mother Superior and Her Fields of Migraine and tells the narrative of the character's struggle to find a cure to the plague that his mind has become after visiting Mother Superior.

As weird as that may sound, Praying for the Be(a)st is a interesting release which takes the listener on a journey through mostly instrumental compositions (some of the tracks feature vocals, spoken word and samples of dialogue), many of which are of a more ambient nature. Blending post-rock and ambient electronica, Radio for the Daydreamers have put together compositions which are, for the most part, mellow, but at the same time incredibly dark.

The very first track 'We Are Only Safe Before Sunrise' pretty much sets the tone with its combination of atmospheric synths, electronic drumbeats and chanted female vocals. Most of the other tracks on the album explore the same darkness through various means of expression. For instance, 'Wasted Faces In Secret Places" is a quite minimalistic tune whose main fueatures are electronic drum beats and clean guitars that are alightly out of tune (which is deliberate, I'm sure), while 'Prog Jazz (All musicians are freaks)' is a kind of ambient post-jazz affair, which features some strong drum 'n' bass patterns, and 'Necrosis Stupor' is a more funky tracks (but still with the dark ambient touch that characterizes the whole album). 'Knife Party' is a heavy industrial metal affair, while 'Guns of Sulphur', being one of the more lighthearted tracks, is a pleasant post-rock-meets-post-jazz thing. Other tracks, like 'Playing Dice with the Devil', 'We the Howling Damned', and 'Ghosts Keep Me Safe, While You Are Gone' have almost soundscape-like qualities to them.

This is a dark musical journey through the recesses of desparation and melancholia. Experimental and challenging, Praying for the Be(a)st is not for everyone, but if you like experimental ambient music with touches of post-rock and electronica, then you should definitely check it out.

(review originally posted at seaoftranquility.org)"