REMAINS OF MORPHEUS: Joik (POST ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

Formed in 2017 in Poitiers, the Remains of Morpheus trio finally delivers his new album, soberly eponymous. Here, everything is instrumental, but never anecdotal. Without a word, the band builds soundscapes where each note seems to tell a fragment of a story. In this immersive fresco with post-progressive contours, some will evoke early Porcupine Tree, others will think of Monkey3 or God Is An Astronaut. “Remains of Morpheus” offers a rawer, denser sound that doesn't seek to soar so much as to build a sensory narrative, taut between chiaroscuro and catharsis.

Among the seven tracks, 'Olog' perfectly embodies this tug-of-war. Tension rises like an oil slick, the guitar rumbles, the drums impose a rigid, almost martial cadence. We flirt with post-metal, even noise, but always with a form of controlled restraint. In contrast, 'Iron Goat' explores a more melodic, contemplative side. The riff, though massive, leaves room for breath and emotion, proving that the band knows how to balance power and legibility. These contrasts are the richness of the album, with each track playing its own part, while remaining part of a coherent overall vision.

The very long 'Scaphandriac' is a perfect example of the band's more ethereal post-rock influence, evoking at times God Is An Astronaut. This more restrained, calmer track acts as a breath of fresh air at the heart of the album. Similarly, 'Joik' and 'Blossom' allow themselves a few noisy, aerial escapes where echo, feedback and ambient textures take over the intensity. There's a clear desire to sculpt sound, to bring silences to life as much as saturated assaults. Each composition unfolds like a moving architecture, between tension and release, without ever falling into an exercise in style.

The rough, organic production perfectly embraces this approach: no frills, no bluster, just raw, living matter, sometimes even deliberately imperfect. Remains of Morpheus has produced a dense, inhabited record, in which each track finds its natural place. A coherent work, at the crossroads of post-rock and progressive, which proves that instrumental music can still move people without ever boring them. - Official website

REMAINS OF MORPHEUS

JOIK

AUTRE LABEL

POST ROCK