Din Of Celestial Birds
August 15, 2023| Dan Hillier |FEATURES
“Perhaps the true enjoyment that comes from listening to this genre is that feeling of empathy” – Introducing Din Of Celestial Birds
For a genre that’s typically void of vocals, post-rock has long been a vessel for ruminations on emotion and the human condition. Din Of Celestial Birds instrumentally explore this topic with nothing but pure charisma.
Comprised of Matt Benatan (Bass, Synths), Chris Core (Guitars) Andie Gill (Guitars, Synths), Tom Hazlehurst (Guitars) and Vince Knight-Schrijver (Drums, Percussion), the Leeds post prock quintet offer explorations of the unquantifiable nature of emotion in a fashion that’s beyond the ultimately finite power of human language. A tall claim yes, one that some could say is hyperbolic indeed, but what makes this statement tangibly factual is their beautifully atmospheric and haplessly immersive LP debut The Night Is For Dreamers.
Containing tapestries of sound as rich and vivid as the human experience itself, the record serves as a soundtrack to those cinematic moments in life that characterise and chapter our short time on this planet. With each track serving as a soundtrack to particular event or situation or event deserving of an expertly tailored soundtrack, The Night Is For Dreamers witnesses Din Of Celestial Birds interweaving the luscious soundscapes of Maybeshewill, the furious post-metal riffs of Russian Circles, the quiet dynamics of MONO with the ingenuity of the entire UK post-rock scene in order to fully enliven the humanity that’s at the crux of their intricate sound. The end result is a record that’s alive with a sense of purpose, cinematic in scope and totally removed from the stoicism that some associate with the post-rock sound.
With the record out now via A Cheery Wave (UK) and A Thousand Arms (US), we got in touch with Din Of Celestial Birds to chat about the human condition, post-rock and ArcTanGent Festival.
Related: Din Of Celestial Birds – The Night Is For Dreamers | Album Review
For those new to Din Of Celestial Birds how would you briefly describe yourself?
Chris: Five guys telling stories through our music, from calm, contemplative soundscapes to crushing, cathartic riffs.
Vince: Epic cinematic noise woven into a harmonic tapestry of emotion, connectivity, and reflection.
Musically and topically, what are your primary inspirations?
Chris: Musically, we’re inspired by our contemporaries in bands like Russian Circles, Maybeshewill, Caspian, Mono and pg.lost. The bands that can take you to places without a single word. Topically, we tend to draw inspiration from our own lives; things that have happened to us, a feeling or emotion that feels poignant or our relationships with our friends and families.
Vince: There are so many bands to name that inspire us in this vein of music and Chris has mentioned a few. Personally, I would also say that many of us are massive prog fans, where the writing is focused on attention to concept and detail, such as Porcupine Tree. Many of these artists have somehow managed to film-score important moments of our lives before seeing the script. We are definitely inspired by the more poignant aspects of the human condition, and a large part of Din Of Celestial Birds for me is certainly the sense of capturing them in movie-like moments.
How are you feeling about the release of The Night Is For Dreamers?
Chris: This is the first time that any of us have released a full on proper record (as far as I know anyway), and it’s been a real journey to be able to do this with your best mates. There’s been a lot of time and effort put in by Tom, to the admin aspects which got us to where we are today with it, but it’s been a pleasure to go on this journey so far. It’s just started getting out there now with the first previews and reviews coming in, and it’s great to see such lovely feedback from everyone really getting onboard. I can’t wait for people to get hold of the album now, and am really excited for release day and the following couple of weeks after that.
Vince: Very very excited for release! As a group of friends, we have played together in various combinations across several previous bands throughout the last two decades. The other four have done the heavy lifting with Din Of Celestial Birds, putting in an incredible amount of work, creative direction, and organisation and it has been an honour and a privilege to push this release with them. Beyond the excitement I think we are all feeling quite humbled by the positive response so far and personally, there are some life goals happening now! Looking forward to making some more emotions and memories with these guys by playing the album live in the future.
The album is quite frankly incredible in terms of its cinematic scope. How did you go about capturing this sense of cinematic grandiosity?
Chris: Andie and Matt spent a lot of time between each other working on things that I feel contribute greatly to the cinematic feel of the album, like the synth patches, piano parts, string arrangements and this kind of thing, and have woven them into the compositions made from the original demos we had in a way that elevates everything and sits there like it always belonged. I know Andie also put a lot of work into balancing the guitar parts tonally and harmonically, so that they work together and can play off each other. For me these are some of the bigger contributors to the cinematic scope of the record.
Vince: Reverb… But seriously, I think we all had this vision that the sound we wanted was cinematic which helped with the cohesive sound. Of course, it helped that we had a fantastic recording environment for the drums [With producer Joe Clayton] at No Studio. As for the scope and grandiose nature of the writing, it is definitely down to Andie, Tom, Matt, and Chris.
Similarly, the record has a profound sense of juxtaposition. Whilst parts of it feel pacifying and tender, some sections are crushing and despondent. Was this sense of contrast intentional?
Chris: Absolutely. We want to be able to take listeners with us on a journey of the feeling or concept we were trying to portray when the song was written, and the impact of a heavy hitting and emotionally charged riff section can be elevated by more contemplative parts. It gives the listener time to reflect and take in things, and can bring a catharsis, hope and ambition. In the end we are playing music about our experiences, and this reflects the way that life can be.
Vince: For me this contrast is essential and was indeed implemented intentionally. We often have quiet sections that go on for a while and build up until releasing into. This mimics life in many forms where we prepare for an event in calm that we are sure will unfold in chaos, or vice versa, where we prepare in chaos for a quiet moment that brings release. This gives the listener the experience to build a story around themselves by playing with these dynamics.
The Night Is For Dreamers feels akin to a collection of snapshots documenting different people and situations. Every track feels like a slice of life as it were. Could you elaborate on this, how did you approach enlivening these subjects purely though instrumental means?
Chris: I feel like Andie is the real powerhouse here when it comes to his ability to turn an emotion into sound, and has such a talent to conjure up this connection to people from the notes being played and to evoke that feeling, which likely was fostered by his time spent studying composition for film and TV soundtracks at university. Songs will often go from very rough musical ideas or simply a concept such as a feeling or situation, and evolve quite dynamically from there. We normally share an initial demo or idea for something and chip in together to expand on it, keeping the original intent in mind. The feel of a song, for me at least, is key to where it will take us. I also love the artwork that Tom’s wife Alice [Hazlehurst] has made for us here, as I think it complements this concept of snapshots of life really well, like peering into an unfamiliar picture and wondering who these people are, and what’s going on.
Vince: We have shared a lot together as friends and although this isn’t by any means a direct re-telling of particular moments, I hope that it conveys the awareness of being human. I agree with Chris in that Andie has an absolute talent for conveying these scenes through his songwriting. Personally, it’s an absolute blast playing with all of the others whether in practice, recording, or live, which for me is an invaluable part of bringing these thoughts to life and into the room without talking about them explicitly.
In relation, there’s a profound level of emotion in the record. Was creating The Night Is For Dreamers a cathartic experience?
Chris: It’s hard when you are creating something to be assured (even just in yourself) that the direction you are taking with a song, or collective piece like an album, is the one you really want to go down with, with such scope for the options you have. We have taken a lot of care between us, discussing the overarching album ‘mood arc’, song parts mood and feeling and ensuring that the songs sit comfortably within their place on the running order here. Now that we have the finished record, I’d say yes, it is cathartic. You can step back and take in the bigger picture as a completed piece of work, which is always a landmark moment for anyone creating something.
Vince: I think for me it was quite a cathartic experience! I enjoyed the process thoroughly as a studio recording virgin which might have instilled itself into the sounds you hear. However, as the newest bird there was a fair amount of pressure to get things just right in places and there are a few moments of regret in how parts were played during the recording – I suppose that is normal. As for the creation of the album as a concept I think that it might have been less of a relaxing task for the others who were more involved in the nitty-gritty of writing. I was just happy to play music with my friends.
From what I understand’ Downpour’ is about watching people revel in the torrential rain at ArcTanGent. You’ve long had a relationship with the festival, what is so special about the festival for yourselves?
Chris: Yeah, that was the moment that Tom originally took as inspiration for Downpour. In 2019 the heavens opened and an absolute deluge of water hit the festival, creating the wettest, muddiest field I think I’ve ever seen (I know right, at ArcTanGent? Never!). But amidst the miserable cold, soaking wet weather and all the mud, when you look up from the ground you see all these people who came together to celebrate something they have a shared love for, and having such joy in doing it. It was a great thing to realise and created this atmosphere of community and excitement, where the rain no longer is a negative and you exist in that moment. We always try to make sure we can go to ArcTanGent, and will go with any friends who are convinced by (or perhaps have had enough of) our constant ranting. The team consistently puts on these insanely well curated lineups, both with bands that I love and can’t wait to see, but also with these hidden gems where you can just wander around the site and find your next favourite thing (2018, finding Delta Sleep and Leprous for the first time by accident, two bands I had not had the pleasure of hearing before then). But more than anything, I always look forward to it because it’s a super friendly crowd and I can hang out with my friends and listen to great music.
Vince: I think Downpour is my favourite track. As it starts on the open hi hats I feel like I am channelling the rain as it batters onto tents, canopies, lakes, and grass – a weather that speaks to me for some primordial reason. I cannot remember the first time I went to ArcTangent, but it always reminds me of my twin brother who got me into post rock. Incidentally, he lives in Bristol and when we go it’s always a fantastic weekend rain or shine! Beyond these affiliations with ArcTangent, all I can say is that I always leave inspired with my head full of ideas and a belly full of good beer.
Post rock and instrumental music as a whole has long been a vessel for artists to articulate emotion purely through music. In fact, many instrumental artists can capture emotion more vividly through pure institutionalism than through lyrics. For you, what is it about this genre that makes it so inherently emotional, and why do you think people solely approach instrumental music to express emotion?
Chris: I think while they can be used to great effect, sometimes words can be a bit of a blunt tool, and for me at least, music taps into something much deeper and more emotionally instinctive. For the right situation, I like the concept of laying the music bare without lyrics. It can lend an exposed, raw vulnerability to something while at the same time giving you space allowing it to grow teeth and anger. Not to say this isn’t possible with vocals, of course it is, but I find the thing that instrumental music does with more ease is creating a canvas for the listener to work with and with flexibility of interpretation, rather than being told more clearly exactly what something is about.
Vince: Echoing Chris, it really is all about what you take away from the sounds you hear and not about what you’re told to take away from it. Without trying to box emotional themes into genres of music too much, post-rock is a fantastic tool for the more mysterious or negative side of human emotion purely because these emotions are very complex. Words may be well-suited to describe some of the more joyful and pure emotions in life such as love, happiness, or the feeling when you hold a fluffy kitten as these are feelings which are pleasant to share and therefore pleasant to hear. However, I am not sure that many people enjoy listening to real hard struggles being articulated so explicitly. Perhaps the true enjoyment that comes from listening to this genre is that feeling of empathy, as in that moment the music is empathising with you. In that moment it is identical to someone telling you so convincingly “I understand how you feel”. Other instrumental genres also capture distinct sectors of human emotion, each influenced by their unique timbral landscapes.
Finally, what do you want people to take away from The Night Is For Dreamers?
Chris: It will be great if people find the album a soundtrack either fitting to their own experiences, or to new experiences imagined when listening, and I hope that people enjoy what we have created, but honestly we have just had such a blast making it and playing the new songs at shows, it’s all already been worth every minute.
Vince: Instead of taking away from the album, think more about what people can add to it instead. Build on the album by making a movie or series of memories in your head, create a drawing or do some dancing. Everything that follows will only ever add to the sounds and experience that we have made here… Go wild!
