Close Your Eyes To Travel

Many Doors, Many Sounds

written by Ben Salmon

ROCK BANDS LOVE to talk about how they don’t plan to sound a certain way. Instead, they just make music and whatever comes out is a natural reflection of their members’ skills and backgrounds.

Few, however, seem to truly embody that spirit as much as Portland’s Long Hallways.

Portland's Long Hallways combines for a new 7-track album.

“Up through the present day, there has never been a defining single sound or story of the band,” bassist Joseph Chamberlain said. “Part of the meaning of the name is the many doors to explore in making this music, (which) is a product of who we are as individual musicians, and that wherever we take the music it will always sound like Long Hallways.”

For evidence, listen to the band’s new album, Close Your Eyes To Travel, a seven-track collection that wanders and explores as it grooves. The core of the album’s sound is dynamic instrumental music built from Danny Staton’s sparkling guitar parts, Chad Rush’s pounding drums and Chamberlain’s foundational bass lines. Together, they breathe life into Long Hallways’ omnivorous post-rock.

But throughout Close Your Eyes, others put their stamp on the band’s songs. Myles Eberlein’s cello and horns produce orchestral and jazzy undertones. Dayna Sanders’ keyboards and maracas give “On Other Shores” a Latinpop vibe. Stringed instruments make bright, urgent songs feel earthy, while “Under A Dark Planet” blends avant garde noise and electronic bleep-bloops.

Close Your Eyes was largely composed during a long writing retreat to the Sou’wester Lodge in Seaview, Washington. Long Hallways’ songs originate in many ways, but once they become band material, they’re treated with tremendous care.

“We communicate very openly and as democratically as possible with a lot of value for autonomy as well,” Sanders said. “There’s a lot of discussion, feedback and trust.”

With so many voices involved—as well as listeners’ ears— any concrete meaning behind the songs takes a back seat to individuals’ imaginations.

“That’s what we love about writing instrumental music,” Staton said. “We can each have our own interpretation about what a sweet, sad or sexy section of a song is really about, and that’s OK.”

Listen on Spotify

Long Hallways’ post-rock is embellished with jazz, Latin rhythms, stringed instruments and more.