Long Distance Calling – How Do We Want To Live?

Released shortly after the first COVID19 lockdown, “How Do We Want To Live?” soon became part of my daily indoor musical routine while I was working, cooking… during the pandemic days.
Maybe that’s why I have it in such high regard, as I had plenty of time to delve into it.

Still, that can be an unfair consideration, as the album itself is a pretty solid one.

A slight stylistic departure of sorts from previous Long Distance Calling's studio albums, “How Do We Want To Live?” stands as one of the band’s most textured and varied albums thanks to the wider use of electronica and effects, in line with the overall concept that seems to guide the record’s structure and theme: the rise of artificial intelligence and how mankind will deal with it.

The result is an album that has a little bit of everything within a wider cinematic approach, avoiding one of post-rock’s main weaknesses: repetition of schemes and linearity. There are plenty of different soundscapes here, from a spoken word intro that slowly bleeds into “Curiosity Pt.2”, the first “proper” song of the album and an early highlight containing bits of really beautiful interplay of rhythm and melodies. Probably one of LDC’s most melodic songs ever.

“Hazard” keeps up the beautifully woven song structure, with more spoken word parts that turn into a great closing section filled with some memorable guitar melodies and breaks that keep the rocking feeling. “Voices” starts again in a subdued fashion with ethereal voices floating over an almost martial rhythm pattern that will eventually explode on a full-on rock coda.
Actually, the band never forgets to rock and to create effective build-ups all along the album, as “Immunity”, “Sharing Thoughts” and “Beyond Your Limits” (the only song with actual sung lyrics) show, forming a killer trio.

“True Negative” and “Ashes” wrap up the album with an atmospheric feel that serves as an ominous closing to one of LDC’s best and more progressive efforts to date.