Himalaya is the follow-up album to Hills Like White Elephants’ self-titled EP, and it plays like a dream sequence: some parts seem like familiar musical territory, while other bits are so obscure that they could only happen in the fiction of a surreal world.The album starts softly, with a delicate guitar solo on “Lilliput Steps.” From there, the song begins to swell as more instruments enter the fray. Hills Like White Elephants effectively lace horns and strings through several tracks, which results in a grand and orchestral feel throughout the entire album. However, some songs, particularly the lengthy “A Sword in the Circle,” get lost in the experimental nature of dabbling in so many sounds. “Gulls” is much more minimalist, and stands out as particularly weird.
Most of the band’s experiments pay off: “Ghosts In Tow” is a fabulously variant track with several musical ideas expressed, but still unified and underlined by Chris Blackmore’s ethereal voice. “Instrumental” further exhibits the orchestral quality of this album, with drumming that picks up and drives the track.
“The Christening” is the paramount song on Himalaya. With both intensity and sensitivity, Hills Like White Elephants use the track to show their level of control over a wide range of musical abilities. The track boasts furious violins and driving guitar solos that build into a frenzy and then wind down in exhaustion.
Himalaya is an incredibly developed album; every song boasts several layers of sound that like to toy with the idea of becoming noisy but never forget about the subtleties. The album is unique, and while some tracks may take a little getting used to, it’s consistently interesting and a solid performance from one of Edmonton’s own.
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