Storchi: By Far Away

It’s been six years since Israeli instrumental quartet Storchi hit us with their debut album, Outside. They’re back with By Far Away, and with a slightly different sound: less heavy than Outside and much less heavy than their 2021 EP Crude. This isn’t to say that all the metal has been stripped from the album. You can still find it in spots, particularly on “Furthest� and the very brief “Further.� Speaking of brief, at roughly 31 minutes, By Far Away is short even by 1970s standards.

The album is dominated by Danielle Sassi’s flute. But the rest of the players are given ample time to showcase their skills: Noam Arbel on drums, Oz Shemesh on bass, and Itay Carmeli on bass. I can’t think of a band to directly compare to Storchi, at least on this album. Some will say an instrumental Jethro Tull because of the flute, and they wouldn’t be totally wrong. There are moments that sound very much like Songs from the Wood, including on “Smoky.� But the music is consistently faster paced and there are many more jazzy elements and some klezmer here and there, though more of the latter would have been appreciated.

I liked By Far Away, though not as much as Outside. I guess I just wanted more; it came and went too quickly, leaving me impressed but feeling a little peckish.

Track Listing
1. Lagoona (7:33)
2. Far (0:47)
3. Smoky (7:42)
4. Further (0:38)
5. Stability (5:16)
6. Furthest (3:04)
7. Horseshoe (6:11)

Added: November 13th 2025
Reviewer: Aaron Steelman
Score:
Related Link: Band @ Bandcamp
Hits: 81
Language: english

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