#reflectionless

Set and setting - Reflectionless

Cover Artwork and Layout by  Samantha Muljat

Set And Setting‘s new effort Reflectionless was released this past Friday independently. A full stream of it is available below courtesy of Noisey. Visit MerchNOW for physical copies and this link for digital versions.

Reflectionless, by Set and Setting

Post-metal

Dunk! Records

January 27, 2017

Set And Setting – Saudade

All bands play music for different reasons. For some there is a pull. That’s what I felt when I first started playing. I saw people playing on stage and felt like I needed to be a part of that, and I was for a short time. Unfortunately life sometimes gets in the way of dreams. For others, they play because they must. There’s nothing else for them to do. The music lives inside of them. As I’ve grown older, I think I’ve begun to realize that the music lives outside rather in for me. A sad realization for sure, but perhaps someday I can find a way to bring it back in—or possibly dig down deep enough to uncover what’s already there. Until that time comes, I will continue finding those who feel that music inside of them. I did just that on a March evening at Joe’s Grotto.

Reflectionless were the first band to play. They played a generic brand of death metal that sounded like a conglomeration of influences. Their movement was stifled on stage by equipment from the bands yet to play. The lead singer seemed sluggish. His vocals sounded right, but he didn’t look as if he was really enjoying himself. Perhaps it was nerves. The bass player looked as if he was concentrating too hard on playing the right notes to notice the small crowd in front of him, and although they played reasonably well, it did not sound right. They weren’t playing anything for themselves. Instead they were playing for the bands that influenced them. It sounded as if they were trying to be something they were not yet ready to be. They were reckless apprentices, trying to tame a beast they weren’t ready for. At one point during the set, the guitarist missed a riff and shook his head as he realized the song had gotten away from him. That seems a fitting encapsulation of Reflectionless.

The next band to play that night was sleepmakeswaves, a post-rock group from Australia. They too seemed cramped on stage, but they didn’t seem bothered or hampered. They were still able to play their brand of cinematic hard-rock. One of the important aspects of post-rock is emotion, and it seemed clear watching sleepmakeswaves that they could feel every note that they played. They moved with the rhythm, swayed with the beat, and raged with the sound. They make music that rocks, and it was a pleasure to watch them make it that night.

*Just as a disclaimer, people chose to watch concerts in different ways. I often chose to do that right in front of the stage. Had I been in a different place, the following would likely be different, and should not be taken as a reflection of the band* Entheos was the third band to play. Before beginning their set, they asked that the preamps on the stage not be used, which is what I was listening through. All I could hear during the set was drums and the occasional vocal. They seemed like they were having fun though. Hopefully they sounded good to the rest of the audience. Thanks, Joe’s Grotto, for your shit sound system.

Monuments were the second to last band to play. Their sound was monstrous. Their sound is a good mix of the djent style and death metal. The four men on stage played a primarily instrumental set, but they played the hell out of it. At their best, the two guitarists would reach their heads almost past their knees while head-banging. The bass player would rotate his head around swinging his dreadlocks in a circle in what an audience member termed “the dread fan.” Despite not having their lead singer with them on tour, they put on a performance that was not at all lacking. For the last song, the bassist asked the audience to sing if they knew the words, and one dedicated fan got up onto the stage. He gave the audience a sneer, grabbed the microphone, and kept his mouth shut. He was directed off the stage by security not long after. Despite the intrusion, Monuments were great to see and hear.

The Contortionist closed out the night, and rightfully so. They put on a fantastic show. The light was on point. Back lit, rather than from the front, the musicians looked more like silhouettes moving across the colorful rig against the back wall. They all played great and sounded amazing.

The lead singer is particularly captivating to watch. He moves slowly, purposefully across the stage and looks out at the crowd as if discovering them for the first time. His movements are purposeful, but strange, like he is learning how to use his body. Discovering what it can do and how it moves. When singing he doesn’t seem to singing out to the audience, but rather for himself, for the music. When donning his more guttural yell, he is much more confident and aggressive. Then he addresses the audience. Letting them know that The Contortionist’s version of progressive metal is a statement. These guys aren’t exactly doing this for fun. They’re doing because they have to. Because this is what they are meant to do. They know what they are doing, and they play the shit out of it.

all photos are from my instagram @droppingthroughblackholes

https://www.facebook.com/ReflectionlessAZ/timeline

https://sleepmakeswaves.bandcamp.com

https://entheosofficial.bandcamp.com/releases

http://thisismonuments.bigcartel.com

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