Review
A Whisper In The Noise
To Forget

Exile on Mainstream (2012) Jon E.

A Whisper In The Noise – To Forget cover artwork
A Whisper In The Noise – To Forget — Exile on Mainstream, 2012

The 2 piece "band" A Whisper In The Noise has been kicking around for the better part of the 2000's playing a style of folk that contains elements of shoegaze, dream pop, and ambient electronics. So one may come to the conclusion that the band has an identity crisis of sorts with such a striking mix of sounds. Well it would be too simple to deny the band their efforts.

The band seems pretty set in their ways on this record. They consistently start with a buzz and end with a whisper seemingly doing everything they can to embody their band name. The opening title track starts with said buzz. This builds into a melange of strings, bells and light. distant drum work. Over the course of 5 minutes this song builds but never quite seems to have a climax instead seeming like a long intro to the record.

The songs seem to follow this lead building an atmosphere but doing very little to cash in on whatever power they build. That may be the point in reality as the band doesn't really seem interested in rocking out as much as being somewhat peaceful and melancholy at the same time. This works rather well most of the time as the dual male/female vocals create a calm choir like atmosphere when they are used. More so than not these vocals get overtaken by the other things in the mix.

The production is really clean but seems less that focused many times. At points the vocals take center stage and as mentioned it creates a soothing yet sad atmosphere. Where this goes wrong is the strings always seem to take precedence within the mix of the songs. This makes the effect of the vocals become overshadowed and nearly forgotten by the end of the song. This would be the main complaint with the record. In essence music is about creating and controlling a feeling to be able to present it to the listener. When a band fails at making the most of those cultivated moments the band and song tend to fail miserably. While there is nothing truly bad on this record there is a consistent failure to make the most of these moments and that, in itself, may be worse than outright failure.

6.6 / 10Jon E. • June 18, 2012

A Whisper In The Noise – To Forget cover artwork
A Whisper In The Noise – To Forget — Exile on Mainstream, 2012

Related news

Exile on Mainstream anniversary show at Roadburn

Posted in Labels on March 30, 2014

A Whisper in the Noise on tour now

Posted in Tours on May 7, 2012

A Whisper In The Noise Release Pushed Back

Posted in Records on February 19, 2008

Recently-posted album reviews

Errth

Errth
Uncle Style Records (2025)

What makes a gruff vocal melodic punk band stand out? That's the question I'm asking myself as I listen to Errth's debut on repeat. I've been playing this record for probably a month straight and I dig it. It checks the heart-on-sleeve style I enjoy but I'm struggling to figure out why, exactly. I think on this, it's the tones … Read more

1186

Histeria
Drunken Sailor (2025)

If you read enough press releases, you start questioning if you even know what genre names mean. Post-punk has been one of the most abused terms of the past 2-3 years and it seems to mean wildly different things to different people. To me, it’s always meant an ear for angular guitars and noise atop more traditional song concepts. 1186 … Read more

Li Jianhong

Shuttle Raven of the Dream
Utech (2025)

Li Jianhong's philosophy surpasses the direct relationship of a musician with their instrument of choice. Instead, Li has advocated for Environment Improvisation, where the urge to create and improvise is established by the artist's surroundings. Looking at Li's website you can find numerous instances that inspired him to settle down and start improvising, drawing energy from the surroundings. The music … Read more