Track titles don't really support my first impression, except "La danse des sorcieres" ["Dance of the sourcerers"]. Other track titles, as well as the album title, suggest the ocean being a theme and especially giant sea creatures. The wall-of-text album description, which I skimmed through, supports this. The description also mentions stoner rock, which seems fitting. Mostly instrumental: drums and what sounds like electric guitar and bass (with emphasis on bass). Standard rock set-up, expect a few samples and maybe an occasional keyboard or synth on a few tracks for sound effects. Most tracks are at least 10 minutes long. Shortest is 8:59 and longest 21:38. Make sure you have at least two hours free before you embark.
First track, "Under pressure", starts with water and a croaking bird, I'm guessing a black crow or a raven; nature worthy of a ritual rooted in ancient history. Non-verbal wailing-like vocals, but mid-pitched, like that of a human mimicking an animal? Otherwise purely instrumental. Second and third tracks ["La danse des sorcieres" and "Últimas palabras" ["Last words"] respectively], have the same set-up, except with vocal samples of someone speaking, not sure about what. Track #2 starts with what sounds like glockenspiel.
Track #4, "Godzilla", still has that lo-fi distorted punkrock energy, albeit slow, still long and repetitive, but the trance is broken. The tempo is fleeting. Seems unstable. Sometimes faster, sometimes slower, just slightly. Our ship is sailing off to wherever the sea decides. You earn your sealegs. Why is it named after a giant lizard-creature? Are we out to sea hunting it down?
Track #5, "Eye of the storm", delivers some of that variation I crave and starts with a more easy-going electronic sounding synth loop slowly fading in from silence and eventually being accompanied by harsher drone-like sound effects and distorted guitar drones. The sounds of a storm, if you will [because title]. This goes on for quite a while. It's one of the longer tracks, clocking in at 21:20.
The album finishes with three tracks about "dubwhales", bringing onboard more variation. Some cool disruptive drumming going on here, most prominent in dubwhale II & III. Any deviations are mostly like a drop in the ocean, though. Not sure what a dubwhale is, other than a whale listening to dub or a large creation with slight dub-vibes.
All in all, "Dive:two" by GHOST:WHALE, is like a nice warm blanket of sound, noise-cancelling and as brutal as it is soothing. Deep and bass-heavy rock for stoners and others ready for a long journey out at sea—or inside it, under it, deep below the surface."
By Maskinkultur / _nsigned.com.
Take a look at this review posted on _nsigned! GHOST:WHALE - 'Dive:two' album review by Maskinkultur.
