God is an Astronaut - Age of the Fifth Sun

I've always liked God Is an Astronaut. They've been a solid band in the post rock scene for the last 8 years. Their fifth full-length record, Age of the Fifth Sun, is a little bit of a mystery to me. All the while sounding a lot like God Is an Astronaut, Age of the Fifth Sun is heavy synth based. While it's not a bad move, it's odd to me.

Age of the Fifth Sun still feels like a God is an Astronaut album but the movement is different. It's more driving in spots, almost upbeat... but not quite. The opening track, Worlds in Collision, is a song with movement, meaning it feels like you're moving. It feels like a song you'd hear in a movie, or you can just imagine a music video for the song having the imagery or movement and growth. While the last minute and a half of the song comes down into a sparse piano. In the Distance Fading is very familiar and sounds like previous God is an Astronaut work, but guitars aren't the focus on the track, as pianos and synths are the driving force of the melody.

Although Age of the Fifth Sun is a little different then what we're used to hearing from God is an Astronaut, it's still a really strong record. It's the best post rock album I've heard this year (although I haven't heard too many). The movement between song is really nice and the songs themselves are all well composed. It's an enjoyable listen. Although some moments feel like you've heard them already things always change and move in a different direction to keep the album from getting stale.

My only really complaint is the album doesn't have a strong finish. The title track is a good song and has so much going for it that I wish it would been the closer to the record. But Paradise Remains, although a nice ambient piece, doesn't put a nice cap on this record. It's start strong but doesn't finish as nice as I hoped. Still, it's an overall good record.