Review: Pijn ‘From Low Beams Of Hope’

Pijn are one of those bands I’ve always skirted around the edges of and never really sat down and paid full attention to their music. I enjoyed their collaboration with Conjurer, but after listening to the first few minutes of the opening track, Our Endless Hours, I must question my own wisdom as I’ve clearly been missing out on something rather special from the post-rock collective.

Based next to the infamous Strangeways Prison in Manchester, the band consists of talented and unique musicians who have captivated audiences for years and their latest release From Low Beams Of Hope is their most avant-garde creation yet. The four tracks span just over forty-five minutes long, but it is quite the enchanting piece of music, as the album embraces a cohesive thematic approach, that wraps you up inside their soul and you can feel the intensity pouring out of them. The audio clips that are across the long player, add something extra and become more prominent in its softer, more melancholic moments.

I went through a wave of emotions listening to Carved Expanse with Ed Bottomley’s saxophone really standing out in the first third of the song. It made me feel vulnerable, yet safe, reflective yet impulsive, it’s almost like a tsunami of noise crashing over your head as you struggle to swim, yet focusing on that shining beacon of light, you push forward to the safety of something familiar and comforting. It envelops you from start to finish and will have you transfixed from the moment you start listening.

It envelops you from start to finish and will have you transfixed from the moment you start listening…

Joe Clayton, who plays guitar and helped produce the album said it’s ‘an album with more of an abstract feel’ and ‘an attempt to get perspective on the passage of life’ and with the third track, On The Far Side Of Morning, you can sense that more uplifting and exciting feel that comes from playing with the same people for years. The orchestral parts from cellist Maggie Lister and violinist Claire Northey, add so much to the song, as they convey such emotion from their elegant instruments which, in turn, makes the song more powerful and emotive. You can feel both sadness and joy in this breathtaking and dramatic composition.

We are simply being taken off on an adventure by Pijn, and it shows little chance of slowing down on the final track A Thousand Tired Lives, with a brief rest bite given at the start, which feels purposely done. With Joe Vernon leading the charge on drums, you can sense that this song feels more personal to the ensemble with more melancholy in its delivery to give the listener a more immersive and mind-expanding experience. What makes this more special is that everyone who listens to it will interpret it in different ways, and this is what makes it such a unique and memorable album.

And to top it off, there’s a bonus ambient EP, with re-imagined versions of the album tracks but more minimalist and classically influenced, also to come out. What a treat that promises to be.

Label: Floodlit Recordings
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Twitter | Instagram

Scribed by: Matthew Williams