- Bryon Harris
Defend the Rhino - 'There's No Place Like Home'
Defend the Rhino is an instrumental post rock project, created by singer-songwriter, composer and audio engineer, Nathaniel Sutton, that captivates and inspires. Drawing his influences from groups like Mogwai, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and Explosions In The Sky, Defend the Rhino has created a gorgeous sound with wonderful musicianship and production. HIS latest CD ‘There’s No Place Like Home’ shows off Suttons' undeniable talent.
Starting off with “Milestone,” Defend the Rhino stamps its musical identity with a soothing musical experience. “Milestone” begins with ambient crackling accompanied by a set of piano chords. This texture is slowly built upon adding tasteful guitar licks. Mid-way, the progression breaks into a steady groove bringing the composition together with layered guitar, bass, drums, and some additional production. The production, mix and mastering is top-notch.
Enjoy Defend The Rhino's video " Milestone." The music is as beautiful as the breath-taking landscapes pictured.
The next track I’d like to pay homage to is “Eternal Love.” This beautiful instrumental leads us in with spacey synth sounds, accompanied by some symbol flourishes. Slowly building, soon both bass and piano come in followed by the addition of a simple drum beat. Suttont has the amazing ability to form gorgeous, memorable, poetic melodies without the use of vocals and “Eternal Love” is a great representation of how he accomplishes this.
Another note-worthy track off of ‘There’s No Place Like Home’ is “Tokyo, Japan.” This high energy song is sure to be a fan favorite, grabbing your attention right from the start with an entrancing guitar line and melodic strings. About half way through the song, the tune breaks into a more electronic sounding interlude which keeps the direction interesting and non-repetitive. Defend the Rhino seamlessly integrates a multitude of different sounds and styles and “Tokyo, Japan” shines brilliantly with musical diversity.
The album closes with a short outro called “Afterthought.” This track is slower paced and haunting. Featuring mostly piano, the soundscape is extremely relaxing and allows you to get lost in your thoughts as it takes you along for a gentle musical ride at the end of the journey. Defend the Rhino’s album ‘There’s No Place Like Home’ is full of high quality, moving instrumental tracks that are ready for commercial success in television and film; individuals will love the album as well, especially those who want to venture a little further away from home and enter a world that is filled with a variety of sounds, styles, moods, and musical moments.
Looking to the future, Defend the Rhino will be composing a soundtrack for the film “Killing the Frog” and scoring music for an audio book by Paul Barile. Defend the Rhino’s music is available for purchase on all major music platforms.