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Oceansize have always been about a seemingly paradoxical combination of heavy-but-subtle energy and drawn-out, ambient psychedelia that flows marvelously throughout their albums, stringing together what would otherwise be unrelated songs into a cohesive whole. This is most strikingly evident on their first two albums: "Effloresce" is a broad example of what they are capable of (see "Amputee" and "Remember Where You Are"), while "Everyone Into Position" is something of a secret pop album, a tour de force of 5-to-8-minute new prog anthems bristling with emotional overflow, as if they were Radiohead playing Incubus songs. Or vice versa. If you can't tell, they set a very high bar for themselves with those first two. So what about "Self Preserved While the Bodies Float Up"? Well, it's not as good as those first two albums. But it's still quite good. It's a lot darker in terms of instrumentation; the quiet, moody songs are a lot more brooding, and there is a lack of really upbeat, anthemic (dare I say hook-laden) songs like "New Pin" or "Saturday Morning Breakfast Show". That's not to say they can't pull it off, but it's definitely a more difficult listen simply because the music is more dense, but without as many avenues in. I find it odd that most press for the album has talked about how they've made their music a lot more accessible on this release, because I feel like it's just the opposite. Still, it's a very engaging album once you get into it, especially with the "Superimposer"/"Superimposter" duo, and tracks like "Build Us a Rocket Then" and "It's My Tail and I'll Chase It If I Want To" (the closest they get to bouncy). Definitely recommended for fans of the band, and though it's probably not the best one to start with for people who've never heard them before, it's a worthy addition to any music collection.Read full review
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