Goodbye, Kings (IT)

Goodbye, Kings are somewhat of a strange beast. Hailing from Milan and unbeknownst to most outside the Italian post-rock circles, where they remain a household name, they have through years and years of honest labour, honed this “big band” compositional approach that is uniquely peculiar and positively impressive. Oscillating between 10 and 20 musicians their orchestral sonic constructions reverberate with Godspeed-ian grandeur, fascinate with Grails-ist intricacy, and bewilder with Mogwai-esque weirdness with a touch of stylish elegance to boot.

Appreciated for their cinematic and immersive quality, Goodbye, Kings’ compositions move delicately between ethereal catharsis and concrète soundtrack, possessing an almost surreal quality to them, evoking memories of “un-lived” pasts. A true feat for all the senses, these suspenseful soundtracks are so evocative to possess the power to materialise images before the listeners’ very eyes, transporting them through distant futures and closer pasts as if travelling in a sonic time-machine. 

Mastering this “post-rock ensemble” style, the band’s upcoming album “Transatlantic // Transiberian” presents two suites of 20 minutes each, each scoring their eponymous journeys across continents and cultures.Transatlatic advance is highly suggestive of a trip at sea, with the piano and guitar mimicking the drone of the waves, before an orchestrated chaos of guitars, bass, percussions, piano, sax, and strings pulls and tugs at the listener, evoking the unpredictability of the currents, the volatility of the weather, and the danger that lurks underneath. Transiberian takes up where Transatlantic left off but with a more linear approach, highly reminiscent of the figurative trains tracks its name alludes to, transporting the listener on a journey through the frozen boundless expanse of the Siberian tundra. Again guitars and piano echo the cadence of a train before the track evolves, explodes and dissolves into a whirlwind of sounds and sights. This track somehow manages to be more restrained yet more explosive, with its fiery closing ending the album in a bang, which resounds in the listener long after the album has bid its melancholic farewell. 

10 musicians collaborated on this album, which the band will perform in full in the iconic backdrop of the Theaterzaal. 10 musicians will be on stage including piano, synths, and wind trio, who will bring this album to life in a flurry of delicate crescendos and bombastic climaxes. Don’t miss this exclusive live premiere of one of the most compelling works in post-rock in recent (and distant) memory. 

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