If Life Thread was a dense, polyphonic masterpiece for Ollocs, then Cosmic Shift is the bare bones aftermath. The slow, isolated guitar that opens “Threads of Life” revisits the territory of “A Single Step”, but with a greater emphasis on theme and tone, rather than complex melodic interplay. The results, more often than not, reveal an album that contains within it a human ache. “Three-Sixty” perhaps more effectively resonates, borrowing equally from Classical and, perhaps, Alternative Rock in its interaction with strings. “Steps to Horizon” and “Cinco” come the closest to revisiting the wall-of-sound aesthetic of Life Thread; what separates the former is a choice to emphasize minimalist chord progressions over solos, the hint of a drum over big, aggressive noise. No doubt Life Thread would have taken the slow rumblings in “Steps” as a signal to unravel. Not once, however, does the album teeter on eruption, nor does it dwell in the unresolved. It just creates perfect art without spectacle.
Rating: 5/5
