Album Review: Planetariet – Saknas (Self Released)

Hailing from the North of Sweden, Planetariet are an instrumental experimental post-rock band and they will release their new album ‘Saknas’ on November 17th, 2023. The album is themed around an astronaut in space, losing all contact with Earth.

There are many excellent things about Planetariet’s Saknas, but the most prevalent must be the realisation of the theme. The fact that musically, they can capture the feel of such an event and create powerful emotions around it, is stunning. Yes, this is post-rock, but it is post-rock with many twists and turns.

It is not hyperbole to call this album one of the year’s finest examples of post-rock, yet it is not constrained by the limitations of one genre.

Across ten eclectic and electric offerings, Planetariet make the shape of their sound extremely malleable. Utilising elements of jazz and electronica to create rich and vivid visions. The entire record oozes with emotion, sometimes heart-racing, and sometimes mellow, but always dramatic.

What would it feel like to be in space and be unable to contact Earth? Will contact ever be restored? Or is this how you live out your last days? Floating through space until your resources disappear?

What would be the soundtrack to your anguish, hope, loss, and potential madness?

Planetariet go a long way in trying to make Saknas the best example of what that could be, and it has a lot of impact. It’s music that comforts, even when it’s showcasing more tense atmosphere, because it envelops the mind, body, and soul. From beginning to end, Planetariet capture the imagination and showcase a wonderful amount of creativity. It’s an excellent release.

Planetariet – Saknas Track Listing:

1. Vakuum
2. Korridor
3. Impuls
4. Ingenstans
5. Sändning 16
6. Moment
7. Kontakt
8. Ge Upp
9. Signal
10. Hemlängtan

Links

Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram