Music
19 May 08

Haunt Me When I'm Drowsy

Support slots with British Sea Power and a star turn at this year’s Eurosonic showcase event have given Dublin’s Halves the opportunity to hone their ambient post-rock sound.

Fans of Sigur Rós, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and God Is An Astronaut will find plenty to salivate over here – the seven tracks (spread over half an hour, and encased in a beautifully-packaged sleeve) encapsulate everything from glitchy aural translucence to flare-ups on sluggish rock riffs.
‘May Your Enemies Never Find Happiness’ moves between the gentle and the cacaphonic, its barely-there vocals and hazy lulls acting as a crafty decoy before the song roars into life. Elsewhere, the warm delicacy of a violin is cleverly utilised on ‘Medals’, thawing what would otherwise be a stark offering while ‘In the Sorrow, In The Fire’ is frail and elegent in the same hearbeat. All told this is a refreshing and thoroughly impressive offering.
Key Track: ‘May Your Enemies Never Find Happiness’