Experimental group
Normil Hawaiians
reunited around the time
Return of the Ranters
, their shelved third album from the mid-'80s, was finally given an official release during the 2010s. Eventually their older recordings were all reissued, and the group performed at festivals and avant-garde venues like London's Cafe OTO. The reactivated group's first recording, the single "In the Stone," appeared in 2020, and the full-length
Empires into Sand
arrived in 2024. Seven bandmembers traveled to Tayinloan, a remote seaside village in Scotland's Kintyre peninsula, and set up a home studio to record the album. Further recordings from other locations were subsequently added, shaping the record into a surreal, collage-like work.
had already evolved past their punk beginnings into an improvisatory collective by the time they recorded their first album, so it's no surprise that
is heavier on atmospheric explorations rather than concise, structured songs. Opener "Exiles" artfully reflects on poverty-stricken upbringings, with spoken reminiscences, a voice from a numbers station, and ethereal chanting set to haunting ambient drones. "Ghosts of Ballochroy" is a gruff, rootsy memoir, complemented by the cosmic, angelic poetry of "Back Home to the Stars." The rockier, more guitar-driven "Waterfalls : Bedford 300" celebrates life and the natural world, and the slower-paced "Big City Sky" seems to express relief at being removed from city life. Two mixes of "In the Stone" are included, with one similar to the abrasive 2020 single version, and the other cold, airy, and drumless, like much of the rest of the album. "Where Is Living?," the single's B-side, laments society's contamination and pollution of the environment.
generally has a glum, weary tone, but it still expresses a fascination with being alive and hope for the future. ~ Paul Simpson