Awakened by Decay by 1 Mile North (Review)

After releasing the excellent Minor Shadows LP in 2003, 1 Mile North faded into oblivion. Which was disappointing but given their music’s drifting, ephemeral nature, such a disappearance seemed… appropriate. (Though that didn’t prevent me from trying to figure out what the band was up to in following years.) Return to the present day, and the post-rock outfit are back with Awakened by Decay, which takes a turn for a more spartan, ascetic sound.

That stripping away represents both a plus and a minus. On the plus side, the enigmatic outfit is still capable of creating haunting, textured post-rock in the vein of Labradford through fluid guitar lines, loping bass, and hazy background drones (e.g., “Rocky Beaches,” “November,” “Underground Waves”). On the minus side, the starker sonic palette means that Awakened by Decay lacks the gentle atmospherics that flowed through Minor Shadows, giving that album its wistful, melancholy — and emotionally affecting — cast.

Relatively speaking, Awakened by Decay represents a more demanding listen even though the music’s still more ambient than 95% of what you’ll find out there. It’s not as immediately inviting as Minor Shadows despite sharing similar musical DNA, but patient listeners can still find much to appreciate within its 68 minutes.