Halves

Irish music doesn't come much more cinematic or widescreen than this. On their debut, Halves have turned in the kind of considered, ambitious album that most other bands spend their entire career trying to conjure. Recorded live on reel-to-reel tape in Montréal, a wide array of instruments are thrown into the mix - swirling organs, mournful brass and strings, drums that move from uncertain shuffle to marching band stomp. It is a vintage album, literally humming with atmosphere, the analogue tone giving it a warmth and grit.

Tim Czerniak's high, faraway voice floats above it all, with occasional snatches of lyrics revealing themselves. Ethereal female vocals join him on 'Growing & Glow' - it could be a Kate Bush duet. The album opener 'Land/Sea/People' sets the tone well, and if the vaguely sinister, utterly compelling 'Darling, You'll Meet Your Maker' is an early highlight, the quality doesn't dip. 'It Goes, It Goes' is a record to be absorbed as a whole work (preferably on vinyl, for which it was designed, with all the lights off). Though it doesn't track any specific narrative path, you can imagine it soundtracking some yet-to-be-filmed modern Western. In fact, if it bears any recent stylistic partners, occasionally it recalls the musical scores of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.

This is not an immediate album, but it is the most rewarding kind of record - one that grows on you, drawing you deeper in with each listen. Unfortunately that might mean most people won't give it the time it demands. Those that do are the lucky ones. Forever and ever? Amen to that.

Craig Fitzpatrick

Key Track: 'Darling, You'll Meet Your Maker' - Hot Press

Irish music doesn't come much more cinematic or widescreen than this. On their debut, Halves have turned in the kind of considered, ambitious album that most other bands spend their entire career trying to conjure. Recorded live on reel-to-reel tape in Montréal, a wide array of instruments are thrown into the mix - swirling organs, mournful brass and strings, drums that move from uncertain shuffle to marching band stomp. It is a vintage album, literally humming with atmosphere, the analogue tone giving it a warmth and grit.

Tim Czerniak's high, faraway voice floats above it all, with occasional snatches of lyrics revealing themselves. Ethereal female vocals join him on 'Growing & Glow' - it could be a Kate Bush duet. The album opener 'Land/Sea/People' sets the tone well, and if the vaguely sinister, utterly compelling 'Darling, You'll Meet Your Maker' is an early highlight, the quality doesn't dip. 'It Goes, It Goes' is a record to be absorbed as a whole work (preferably on vinyl, for which it was designed, with all the lights off). Though it doesn't track any specific narrative path, you can imagine it soundtracking some yet-to-be-filmed modern Western. In fact, if it bears any recent stylistic partners, occasionally it recalls the musical scores of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.

This is not an immediate album, but it is the most rewarding kind of record - one that grows on you, drawing you deeper in with each listen. Unfortunately that might mean most people won't give it the time it demands. Those that do are the lucky ones. Forever and ever? Amen to that.

Craig Fitzpatrick

Key Track: 'Darling, You'll Meet Your Maker' - Hot Press

LAUREN MURPHY

CD CHOICE: It Goes, It Goes (Forever & Ever) HATEISTHEENEMY Records ****


They say good things come to those who wait, and if any band knows how to play the waiting game, it’s Halves. The Dublin trio (Brian Cash, Tim Czerniak and Elis Czerniak, who have their live show bolstered by two additional members) have released two EPs in recent years, harvesting goodwill and critical acclaim along their meandering journey – but it’s taken until now, five years after their formation, to release a full-length album.

That’s not to say that It Goes, It Goes (Forever & Ever) wasn’t worth hanging around for. Recorded on vintage equipment in Montréal’s famous Hotel2Tango studios, and engineered by members of post-rock deities Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Thee Silver Mt Zion, at 55-minutes long it undoubtedly requires an investment of time. The difference between Halves and other bands of their ilk, however, is their ability to sequence and pace a record, resulting in a debut that works from its first note to its last.

It’d also be unfair to neatly compartmentalise Halves as “post-rock”, considering the scope of their sound. This is music that belongs to the witching hour; every threatened silence is filled with a hazy, eerie shimmer, lending tracks such as Darling, You’ll Meet Your Maker a sinister afterglow. The girlish tones of Amy Millan (of Canadian indie-rockers Stars) thwarts the measured gloom of standout track I Raise Bears , while Katie Kim’s turn on the steady Growing & Glow buoys the murky mood beautifully.

Yet despite their many guest collaborators, there’s no doubting that this was a labour of love for Halves alone. Every cinematic note sounds painstakingly crafted; every rich burst of strings, deep rumble of brass, or ominous piano coda finds its place amid the deliberate, stately pace of this album. A fine exercise in splendidly subdued grandeur – just remember to leave the lights on when you play it. See ahomeforhalves.com - The Irish Times

LAUREN MURPHY

CD CHOICE: It Goes, It Goes (Forever & Ever) HATEISTHEENEMY Records ****


They say good things come to those who wait, and if any band knows how to play the waiting game, it’s Halves. The Dublin trio (Brian Cash, Tim Czerniak and Elis Czerniak, who have their live show bolstered by two additional members) have released two EPs in recent years, harvesting goodwill and critical acclaim along their meandering journey – but it’s taken until now, five years after their formation, to release a full-length album.

That’s not to say that It Goes, It Goes (Forever & Ever) wasn’t worth hanging around for. Recorded on vintage equipment in Montréal’s famous Hotel2Tango studios, and engineered by members of post-rock deities Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Thee Silver Mt Zion, at 55-minutes long it undoubtedly requires an investment of time. The difference between Halves and other bands of their ilk, however, is their ability to sequence and pace a record, resulting in a debut that works from its first note to its last.

It’d also be unfair to neatly compartmentalise Halves as “post-rock”, considering the scope of their sound. This is music that belongs to the witching hour; every threatened silence is filled with a hazy, eerie shimmer, lending tracks such as Darling, You’ll Meet Your Maker a sinister afterglow. The girlish tones of Amy Millan (of Canadian indie-rockers Stars) thwarts the measured gloom of standout track I Raise Bears , while Katie Kim’s turn on the steady Growing & Glow buoys the murky mood beautifully.

Yet despite their many guest collaborators, there’s no doubting that this was a labour of love for Halves alone. Every cinematic note sounds painstakingly crafted; every rich burst of strings, deep rumble of brass, or ominous piano coda finds its place amid the deliberate, stately pace of this album. A fine exercise in splendidly subdued grandeur – just remember to leave the lights on when you play it. See ahomeforhalves.com - The Irish Times

ow. But following it up is nearly as important as getting noticed in the first place. The ‘difficult second album’ is as common a term as they come in music, but it’s one that holds a serious amount of weight, as many bands have a habit of peaking early before disappearing into oblivion. It Goes, It Goes (Forever & Ever) is not the second album of Dublin band Halves, but it holds as much importance. Since 2007’s Halves EP and the follow-up Haunt Me When I’m Drowsy, Halves have been steadily building momentum, gaining attention from fan and critic, and gracing stage with a complex, beautiful live performance. Now we’re finally here, the first album.

It has been two years since we were treated to Haunt Me When I’m Drowsy, so where have the band gone? And in what direction? It Goes, It Goes (Forever & Ever) is one of the most daring, complete Irish albums of the past few years. Too often some Irish artists seem afraid to push the limits of their musical experiments; Halves are certainly not guilty of this. There is an embrace of electronic influences, coupled with melodic songwriting that is rarely seen. ‘Growing & Glow’ is quite infectious, ‘Haunt Me When I’m Drowsy’ is the melancholic ‘sleeper hit’ and ‘I Raise Bears’ is arguably the band’s most mature offering to date. The guest vocals from Katie Kim are both amorous and sombre, working in quite elegant harmony with Tim Czerniak. ‘Don’t Send Your Kids to the Lake’, though, is simply sublime - the pièce de résistance.

So that’s what this album is about, you see. Maturity. Perhaps it is why we have waited for so long, and if so, it’s been worth the wait. This was sink-or-swim time for Halves - not that they disappointed and were on the chopping block - but because if they had not grown since their last release they may have just been forgotten in an increasingly fickle music scene. But it is not so. Halves stand victorious. - state.ie

Hot Press Feb '08 - Eurosonic gig review
Patrick Freyne

"A little way down the road from where Cathy Davey was playing at the eurosonic festival in Groningen, a lesser known Irish act, Halves, was taking to the stage in a slightly dingier bar to play their music to a crammed room of Dutch people and industry types.

"We make post-rockish type music with lots of strings lots of different layers, and there's quite a strong electronic influence as well" singer and multi-instrumentalist Tim Czerniak told me before I went down to see them. "It's ambitious. we try to make everything huge if possible"

That sounded great, but my hopes weren't that high. I'm going to malign a whole genre here, but the term post-rock is often used by jamming musicians to describe unstructured noodling often made under the influence of "cake" or "crank" or "goat" or some other trendy narcotic. So it's with with great pleasure that I discover that halves are actually bloody brilliant. Meticulously arranged vocal lines, string sections, electronic noises, drum patterns, drum-machines and guitar lines intermingle like something from a Michael Nyman score. They chop and change instruments effortlessly, performing it all in an unaffected but totally engaged way. It sounds a bit like a more aggressive Thom Yorke, or less boring Sigur Ros.

By the end of the gig Halves were distributing free copies of their EP to a throng of impressed foreigners, before returning to the house-boat where they were staying (in true dutch style). They're just one release into the career with an album due out soon, so I fully expect them to be ruling us with an iron fist by the end of the year. And you can also see them supporting Cathy Davey at tripod in Dublin on February 21. It's weird that I had to go to Holland to find a new Irish band that I like." - Hotpress

“Responsible for one of the finest Irish releases this year.”

“They are an example of the rise in quality of irish electronic, unafraid to be intense, engaging and dark.”
- Sunday Tribune

"a gorgeous, tranquil wash of glazed ambience and dreamy guitar noise"......."Onlookers will not forget that, for a stretch, this performance possessed a cosmic beauty that few others can reach" - Hot Press

Halves EP
(Hite)
Here's a Dublin crowd who realise that if you're gonna do the post-rock Mogwai-Sigur Rós thing, then there's no point in doing it by halves. Halves go the whole 9.675 yards on this lavishly packaged and lush-sounding debut EP, going from ambient soundscapes to all-out aural assault on Burial on a Windfarm, Tony Hart's Revenge Theme and Take Exact Revenge. Hear the latter at www.myspace.com/ ahomeforhalves and go see 'em at Crawdaddy next Tuesday.
(Kevin Courtney, Irish Times- ‘The Ticket’) - Irish Times

Halves EP
(Hite)
Here's a Dublin crowd who realise that if you're gonna do the post-rock Mogwai-Sigur Rós thing, then there's no point in doing it by halves. Halves go the whole 9.675 yards on this lavishly packaged and lush-sounding debut EP, going from ambient soundscapes to all-out aural assault on Burial on a Windfarm, Tony Hart's Revenge Theme and Take Exact Revenge. Hear the latter at www.myspace.com/ ahomeforhalves and go see 'em at Crawdaddy next Tuesday.
(Kevin Courtney, Irish Times- ‘The Ticket’) - Irish Times

Halves
From Dublin by way of Poland come Halves (not to be confused with the Halve Nots) who have a prettily packaged single with 'Take Exact Revenge' as the lead track. In fact, revenge seems to be very much on their agenda, although it’s not immediately clear who against. Its title belies its gentle nature, all tinkly and introspective with delicate, wispy vocals and a touch of quietly evocative minimalism about it. ‘Burial On A Windfarm’ is sublimely atmospheric with speaking voice passage then a section of full band, then a plinky bit that builds up again. Its unpredictability adds to its allure. ‘Tony Hart’s Revenge Theme’ is a generally instrumental track that takes you places other bands don’t go. Excellent.
(Hotpress - Jackie Hayden - Pick of the fortnight, 17th may 2007) - Hotpress

Halves
From Dublin by way of Poland come Halves (not to be confused with the Halve Nots) who have a prettily packaged single with 'Take Exact Revenge' as the lead track. In fact, revenge seems to be very much on their agenda, although it’s not immediately clear who against. Its title belies its gentle nature, all tinkly and introspective with delicate, wispy vocals and a touch of quietly evocative minimalism about it. ‘Burial On A Windfarm’ is sublimely atmospheric with speaking voice passage then a section of full band, then a plinky bit that builds up again. Its unpredictability adds to its allure. ‘Tony Hart’s Revenge Theme’ is a generally instrumental track that takes you places other bands don’t go. Excellent.
(Hotpress - Jackie Hayden - Pick of the fortnight, 17th may 2007) - Hotpress

Halves
halves are a new dublin based post rock outfit and this is their debut three track ep released on their own label, the ep comes very beautifully packaged in a hand made card sleeve with ribbon tie and plastic card inner, the ep opens up with the very beautiful track take exact revenge sounding something like the voice of radiohead blended with the music of sigur ros, godspeed and explosions in the sky, a very haunting piece of clever post rock with delicate vocals and a really haunting guitar heavy slow building wall of sound, the remaining two tracks are like one extended instrumental piece opening up with some lovely string led soundscapes before launching into the almost apocalyptic like sounds that would quite easily grace any godspeed record, top marks for both musical content and packaging, may 2007
(Road records- single of the week May 18th)
- www.roadrecs.com

Halves
halves are a new dublin based post rock outfit and this is their debut three track ep released on their own label, the ep comes very beautifully packaged in a hand made card sleeve with ribbon tie and plastic card inner, the ep opens up with the very beautiful track take exact revenge sounding something like the voice of radiohead blended with the music of sigur ros, godspeed and explosions in the sky, a very haunting piece of clever post rock with delicate vocals and a really haunting guitar heavy slow building wall of sound, the remaining two tracks are like one extended instrumental piece opening up with some lovely string led soundscapes before launching into the almost apocalyptic like sounds that would quite easily grace any godspeed record, top marks for both musical content and packaging, may 2007
(Road records- single of the week May 18th)
- www.roadrecs.com

Halves
There was an EP by a band I didn't know much / anything about sitting on my desk for a while, and I finally got a chance to listen to it over the last couple of days. Just three songs long (1. take exact revenge, 2. burial on a windfarm, 3. tony hart's revenge theme) Halves manage to inject seriously needed depth into Irish electronica. The intensity of the atmosphere they create in such a short time is in my opinion up there with Mono. It's epic, changable, emotional, dark stuff. There's a surreal, otherworldly quality to it too, kind of Arctic, spacious, far away. Anyway, my point is, buy this EP. You can get it in Tower Records, Road Records and here.
(Unarocks - unarocks.blogspot.com)
- Unarocks

Halves
There was an EP by a band I didn't know much / anything about sitting on my desk for a while, and I finally got a chance to listen to it over the last couple of days. Just three songs long (1. take exact revenge, 2. burial on a windfarm, 3. tony hart's revenge theme) Halves manage to inject seriously needed depth into Irish electronica. The intensity of the atmosphere they create in such a short time is in my opinion up there with Mono. It's epic, changable, emotional, dark stuff. There's a surreal, otherworldly quality to it too, kind of Arctic, spacious, far away. Anyway, my point is, buy this EP. You can get it in Tower Records, Road Records and here.
(Unarocks - unarocks.blogspot.com)
- Unarocks

[Haunt Me when I'm drowsy is] "A work of brittle beauty" - N/A

[Haunt Me when I'm drowsy is] "A work of brittle beauty" - N/A

"Dublin's Halves are clearly unprepared to settle for the ordinary, instead seeking out at every turn to embrace the epic. Shoegaze, punk, post-rock, lo-fi electronica and a formidable arsenal or musical instruments are employed on their grandiose and largely successful campaigns. There is a rare sense of equilibrium to this record; from the blood quickening title track to the bruised heard tenderness of 'Amberscene', all is lovingly thought out and executed. In fact, for all their celestial ambition, you'll be hard pressed to find a single superfluous note. " - Alternative Ulster

"Dublin's Halves are clearly unprepared to settle for the ordinary, instead seeking out at every turn to embrace the epic. Shoegaze, punk, post-rock, lo-fi electronica and a formidable arsenal or musical instruments are employed on their grandiose and largely successful campaigns. There is a rare sense of equilibrium to this record; from the blood quickening title track to the bruised heard tenderness of 'Amberscene', all is lovingly thought out and executed. In fact, for all their celestial ambition, you'll be hard pressed to find a single superfluous note. " - Alternative Ulster