Virgin Passages - Distance

Fire

Virgin Passages have been releasing material for some time now, but have still not issued their ‘proper’ album. Last year’s Mandalay was a collection of unreleased recordings, and whilst it contained the odd infrequent glimpse of something special, it was for the most part a collection of odds and sods that would have been better left on the hard drive of their home computer.

However, whatever musical alchemy they had been previously hinting at has been realised on Distance, a startlingly beautiful document of what can be accomplished when one realises that there are no boundaries, other than those we impose upon ourselves. Recorded live, the album has an enticing warmth, bass, drums and guitars gently rubbing against each other, creating a captivating glow whilst textures of all description fill out the edges of the sound. Voices overlap, merging with each other to create new sounds, and the music unfolds itself, revealing more with each listen. There is truly something special on this album, which works its way into your subconscious and refuses to leave, transporting you to some hazy otherworld, full of possibilities.

Mandalay was an album of poorly recorded indie-pop. Distance is the equivalent of lying on your back at midnight, and watching the entire cosmos explode right in front of your eyes. Magical. Steven Rainey

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Issue #52 - Very Bro-some

Featuring Panama Kings, ASIWYFA, an investigation into DIY touring, details of what over 25 of the finest NI bands are up to in 2009 and much more.