Hazards of Swimming Naked - Take Great Joy

#FOR FANS OF: Post-Rock, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Mogway

This melodic Australian post-rock album is a joy for the people who like to dream during their listenings, a delightful piece of harmonious music, a work almost wordless except for the nostalgic and sweet remake of the Icelandic lullaby "Sofðu Unga Ástin Mín" where a female voice lulls fear and anger, letting us dive into a lake of peace and hope. Hazards of Swimming Naked reveal in this 2018 their second album, almost nine years after their debut ‘Our Lines are Down’ and promise to launch a tour starting apparently from the 15th of December 2018. This latter release is one of those albums that make me thankful to write music reviews, in a bunch of unknown artists this Brisbane’s collective switch a light on and illuminate my boring afternoons, a breathing proof that a singer is not necessary to compose a great rock album. What I liked the most is for sure the sensation of resonance and nostalgia played by the brilliant arpeggios, the feeling of an enjoyable sadness orchestrated by pieces of trombones, arches and bells. ‘Take a Great Joy’, in conclusion, is a sweet electric fable, one of these tales that we never want to stop listening: an epic announcement in "There Was Never a Right Time", an adventurous development in "Waiting for 5120", a breakdown in "Curtis", a mysterious ascent in "I Don’t Know This Road", a reflexion in "This Common Thread" and, in the end, an inevitable advice: "Accept the Mystery". Well done mates! (Pietro Cavalcaselle)

(Bird's Robe Records - 2018)
Score: 80

https://hazardsofswimmingnaked.com.au/album/take-great-joy