Of course, the Parhelia you care about is a four-piece instrumental post-rock band from Ireland. It's a shame that the classifications of instrumental and/or post-rock will turn many of you off, because Oceans Apart, the group's second EP, is really quite good. To give you a point of comparison, I've been listening heavily to Pelican and Jesu recently; the fact that Parhelia can stand up next to them and hold their own should be testament to their talent.

All of the elements are there, the rising and falling waves of sound, with smooth transitions from one motif to the next. Most of the CD is fairly laid back, although there are some heavier, more distorted passages to crash against the listener as well. One of the things I've noticed most about it, that I find rather interesting, is that the bass carries a large amount of the melody. For instance, on the title track, the first section's main melodic idea is delivered almost totally by the bass, while the guitars drift across the top.