Chloe Silver
Staff Writer
It’s rare for an album to create such a time machine for the ears like Miracle Fortress have with their newest album Was I the Wave?, released April 26.
Since the Montreal group’s 2007 debut, Five Roses, frontman and singer-songwriter Graham Van Pelt has grown musically to the point where he has now managed to relay an entire experience from start to finish with his new album. What starts off as a reminiscent nod to Five Roses in the initial song “Awe,” gradually becomes something altogether different. Wave? takes on a new form all its own, traveling into the musical future with interesting synth accompanied by Van Pelt’s dreamy, space-age vocals.
“Tracers” is well received as the first song, featuring Van Pelt’s familiar lyrical and vocal abilities, while still drawing the listener in with something a little different than they might expect. The song is also an example of the perfected transition skills between synthesizer melodies and lyrical focus that can be expected of their previous work.
Although the first half of the album conveys a bleak view of the future, the second half does the exact opposite. “Spectre” is the perfect tool of transition from dark to light, with generally conjunct tones and a major tonal center that is pleasing and uplifting to the ear. From then on the outlook is bright, as in the surprising, pseudo-love song “Everything Works”.
The crown jewel of the album is the penultimate track, “Immanent Domain”. Beginning with some experimental sounds that progress into an almost hypnotic pulse of vocals, the build-up is as close to perfection as possible. The guitar melds beautifully with the percussion and Van Pelt’s lyrics, which themselves are insightful and relatable upon closer inspection. Of course, closer inspection is hardly required to fall in love with the song. As the last song on the album with lyrics, a beautiful message is presented to the listener: “It’s something simple / maybe true / I know it’s hard to do / close your eyes I’ll push you in.”
The final song, “Until,” rounds out the album as a single, solid entity rather than a collection of songs. The delectable melody of the guitar gives calming sensation and leave the listener pining for more. Miracle Fortress’ Was I The Wave? is an album to be listened to with care, appreciated for all that it is, and shared with anyone who enjoys a good musical journey.
