Considering the depth of concept that J.R. Robinson applies to his epic-length Wrekmeister Harmonies compositions, the fact that Light Falls is his fourth album in four years is mind-boggling. His last LP used a reworked 15th-century madrigal to underpin multilayered tales of human darkness, all channeled through a collective of 30 musicians. This time he’s exploring how inhumanity slowly seeps into society, using the works of Italian-Jewish chemist, anti-fascist resistance fighter and Auschwitz survivor Primo Levi as a launchpad.
The theme of slow transformations informs much of how Light Falls unfolds, and the arrangements are sparse compared to past Wrekmeister works. Robinson often enlists metal musicians, but this time he teams with members of Godspeed! You Black Emperor, Bitchin’ Bajas and Ryley Walker. The Godspeed influence is immediate on “Light Falls II.” Elsewhere are passages that sound like Leonard Cohen fronting a minimalist chamber orchestra. But the relative sparseness robs Wrekmeister of some of its emotional heft, and the climaxes don’t match the catharses of previous albums. These are otherwise minor quibbles for a record that still manages to seamlessly blend doom, ambient, noise and post-rock.
—Matt Sullivan
