Vessels - 'Two Words And A Gesture'

Screw you and a two-finger salute? Guess so and a shrug? Who knows which two words and a gesture the Leeds combo, newly expanded to a five-piece, are referring to on 'Two Words and a Gesture.' The good news is that Vessels’ second release is easily equal to the astounding atmospherics of slow-burning debut single ‘Yuki.’ Like Battles tackling a particularly potent slice of rain-splashed moping ala Talk Talk’s ‘Spirit of Eden,’ Songs of Green Pheasant or Elbow, complete with a keyboard-tinkling hook reminiscent of Sigur Ros swirling at treble-speed, Vessels continue to reign supreme in the sparsely populated section where muscular post-rock pyrotechnics and melancholy introspection meet. Flipside ‘Clear and Calm’ is just as impressive, even if the finale’s distortion-hogging quiet-loud dynamics are executed more dazzlingly elsewhere in the band’s awe-inspiring arsenal. Well done and a thumbs up. That just about nails this.

Released 05/11/07 on Cuckundoo.