CD: JT1082
RELEASED: 2003
LABEL: Jade Tree

01. The Temple Mount
02. Dead Mans Point Of View
03. Oceans Of You
04. One Hundred Times
05. The Greatest Thing
06. No One Could Ever Take You Face
07. If They Only Knew
08. All The Feeling
09. I Dont Want To Live (In A World Of Infinite Keys)

Ester Drang's second album in 2 years, Infinite Keys, is a beautifully crafted, lush addition to the indie pop canon. Album opener "Temple Mount" opens with a low engine rumble, preparatory violins, a doom-tinged guitar, and finally Chambers' ethereal voice. It's a recipe that is repeated on nearly every track, but to the band's credit, they do it very well. It takes a moment to lock into Ester Drang's orchestration, but once you're hooked into Chambers' vision, the music washes over you and it's simply thrilling. While less sprawling than Goldenwest , their 2001 debut, Infinite Keys is still chockablock with moments of grandeur. The jazzed-up horns on "Dead Man's Point of View" pop up and leave as quick as they entered. Meanwhile, wavy guitars wash over the appropriately titled "Oceans of You". The band has a knack of well-crafted pop, in addition to the expansive stuff. "One Hundred Times" approaches straight-up pop and (features a killer sweeping guitar solo) before giving way to the jangly "The Greatest Thing". Infinite Keys ends strong with the quasi-title track "I Don't Want to Live (In a World of Infinite Keys)", which has instrumentation so compelling and epic, it's almost a letdown when Chambers' vocals arrive. The song also brings into focus an important point about Ester Drang. For all the bells and whistles in the band's kitchen-sink approach to indie chamber pop, never once do they collapse into cacophony. So where does all this leave us? Infinite Keys finds in Ester Drang a band tightening its focus, while losing none of its beauty and expressiveness.


Influences / Similar Artists:
The Serenes, Sigur Ros, Mogway, Radiohead, Simmer, Unbelievable Truth