Since forming in 2010, Anakin have always taken a wholeheartedly inventive approach to the creation of their music and ‘Celestial Frequency Shifter’ is the most fully realised example of their vision to date. It would be easy to dismiss Anakin as simply another post-rock band given their influences of The Rentals and HUM to name but two, but to do so would be doing Anakin a disservice as their space-influenced rock is undeniably more ambitious without ever being overbearing.
‘Astro(not)’ is a perfect example of how they they succeed at creating brilliantly imaginative and memorable soundscapes as lines of synth wind amongst the fuzzed out waves of guitar to create something unique and captivating. Beki Andreasen’s synths are an integral part of the songs featured here, often providing a melodic lift against the backdrop of guitars whilst also complementing Jonathan Wessel’s vocals. The result is tracks such as ‘Cosmosapien’ which sounds like what the brilliant outcome would be if Jimmy Eat World and Motion City Soundtrack ever decided to collaborate.
Probably the best use of synths is on ‘Clairvoyance’ which is built around their use and helps to lend the song a certain anthemic quality particularly on the rising yet subtle chorus. However, there is much more to ‘Celestial Frequency Shifter’ than the use of keys, and tracks such as ‘Artificial’ see Anakin place the emphasis on pounding drumming to drive the song forward, whereas ‘Satellite’ makes sparing use of strings to add some texture and to compliment the towering riffs.
Such is the consistently high quality of every track that the album’s overriding space theme never distracts from the excellent song-writing on offer, and in many ways it adds to the appeal. Not only is ‘Ctrl. Alt. Del.’ one of the best songs on the album with its combination of melody, synth and vocals during the chorus but it also manages to include the grin-inducing quote “These aren’t the droids you’ve been looking for” in a way that only a band named Anakin ever could.
‘Protostar’ and ‘Sunbeam’ both do an incredible job of continuing the feeling of space exploration through their lyrics and instrumentation and by the end of the album you really do feel like you have been on a journey into the far reaches of the galaxy. This level of storytelling would be an achievement in itself but the fact that Anakin have done so whilst writing some of the most enjoyable melodic,heavy, and imaginative rock songs marks ‘Celestial Frequency Shifter’ out as being truly outstanding.
CHRIS HILSON