Tune in, drop deep! ‘In Hanging Gardens’ is a symphonic, cinematic, psychedelic and utterly fantastic prog rock track from German indie rockers, Speaking Is A Gun
It isn’t too often that you come across a track that blows you away quite like this. Standing tall at over 7 minutes, this track feels strongly influenced by the sublime rock instrumentation and odyssey-like melodic track structure of bands like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree & Radiohead. Yet, it’s breathtakingly original and compelling, and it’s a sound that keeps you immersed and amazed all throughout.
The track opens with soulful guitar arpeggios and spacious atmospherics. Then, launching us into a deeply immersive arrangement, layers upon layers of distortion, reverb and bass, delivered with a compelling melodic groove. The vocals, Thom Yorke-esque, croon with a nonchalant, sincere cool.
“Laying around in the ….. Hanging Gardens” The smartly taken pause and emphasis give the words an intriguing feel. The lyrics, poetic and sung in riddles, perhaps point to the transient nature of everything. The rise and fall of civilizations galore, there’s always change around the corner. But, amidst all this, are we learning & evolving or moving backwards? Or are we simply repeating the same mistakes, caught in vicious cycles, doomed to act out our karmic life cycles.
The track moves with a confident, assured tempo, building tension through the verses, simmering in intensity, before gracefully exploding into a powerful, all-consuming arrangement. It only lasts a few moments before soulfully gliding ahead. The next, even more impressive crescendo comes at the 4:30-minute mark; this time a more subtly, yet just as compelling guitar solo unfolds. Its storied, emotional and flows at a dizzying melodic tempo.
Just when you think it can’t get much better, the track sustains its intensity, going further and further, twisting and turning guitars riding on driving rhythms and basslines. It concludes in a satisfactorily graceful fashion.
This is the kind of track that makes you sit back in silence and take a few deep breaths. Immersive, emotional and groovy. Fitting a track such as this, the band released a playful, whimsical music video, complete with stirring visuals and goofy antics from the band, showcasing their more theatrical, dramatic side.
We absolutely love what we’ve heard from this eclectic, supremely talented four-piece group and look forward to diving headfirstinto their other compositions.
Stream ‘Speaking Is A Gun – In Hanging Gardens’ on Spotify here:
