Gravity
Gravity finds Anekdoten giving their dark progressive rock a more spacious and melodic shape. The heavy bass and Mellotron remain important, but acoustic passages and quieter singing have a larger role. It is an effective balance, allowing the record to keep its weight while making room for a less aggressive kind of tension.
Monolith is a strong opening example. The bass and shifting rhythm provide force beneath the guitar and keyboards, with the singing adding to the uneasy mood. Ricochet uses a similar depth of sound more gently, bringing the voice, Mellotron and guitar into a particularly appealing arrangement. Its restrained organ solo shows how effectively a small instrumental detail can matter.
The War Is Over changes the setting. Acoustic guitar and a dreamier vocal give the song a softer character, while the keyboard sounds keep it connected to the rest of the album. The Games We Play is lighter still, adding a brief, almost playful pause before the ending.
What Should But Did Not Die builds its darker atmosphere with care. The tension suggests that a large release is coming, but the band keep control rather than turning every rise into an obvious explosion. SW4 is more exposed, with the backing voices adding colour around a spare, melancholy performance.
The title track gives the heavier and more expansive sides of the group a useful meeting point. Guitar and Mellotron develop alongside the voice, with the rhythm becoming more forceful as the piece progresses. Seljak closes without vocals, allowing the instrumental playing to stretch out while maintaining the record's unsettled character.
The album does ask for attention to a fairly narrow emotional range. Its quieter passages can feel reserved, and the different styles do not completely remove the familiar melancholy.
Gravity succeeds through strong melodies and controlled arrangements. Its older psychedelic colours belong to songs with a clear sense of movement, rather than simply decorating them. It is a persuasive Anekdoten album for listeners who value atmosphere and ensemble playing as much as a heavy riff.
