Belong - Realistic IX

It has been 13 years since Belong released their sophomore album, Common Era. There was a slight shift in the sound of that album from their 2006 debut, October Language; they incorporated distinct and clearer melodies, a stronger vocal presence, and the odd Eighties inspired synth drive. The layered ambience and atmosphere were still there, but October Language was a more sombre album. While those deep moods and textures are still present on Realistic IX, the album is more direct and minimalist in its approach, with Jones and Dietrich using the guitars and drum textures more to drive a palpable rhythm.

The backbone of Realistic IX is the opening song “Realistic (I’m Still Waiting),” “Souvenir,” and “Jealousy.” All three songs have a very similar infectious riff and beat. The guitars and vocals are washed in a shoegaze cloud, buried and thrown into a blender of effects, and there are subtle differences in intensity, but what the three songs do is keep the album in focus, which allows Belong to veer off into different ambient moods and textures at will elsewhere.

Realistic IX is more personal. October Language and Common Era felt like Belong were hovering above the city, casting dispersions. On Realistic IX, Belong are walking the streets and witnessing people escape. This is music that evokes thought and emotion, but those thoughts and emotions are not easily defined - and that is a rare trait. This is music to listen to on your own, walking through the busy city or at home alone at midnight.

Realistic IX is consistent and at 40 minutes, the 8 songs race by, even though the final song and mood piece in “AM/PM” is perhaps a few minutes too long. The static haze of “Bleach” lingers long after it has finished, and there is a swirling and floating feeling that I get from the fantastic “Image of Love.” “Crucial Years” feels like things could fall apart at any minute, yet it is held together by a strong heartbeat. If there is one snapshot that I get from hearing this album, it is that things are disintegrating slowly but surely, and you can not do anything about it.

The vocals are present here, but they are either hidden and twisted in so many effects that they are indecipherable, or they are just haunted vocal sounds. They are used to great effect though because you draw your own emotions from them and in isolation, they are just another instrument here, a texture that adds to to the depth of Belong’s canvass.

Definitely recommended for fans of artists like Tim Hecker but would also appeal to My Bloody Valentine lovers.