MP3: || Asunder ||
“Asunder” is the first taste from Fang Island’s new album, Major (pssh like they were gonna name it Minor). If you’ve listened to Fang Island before, especially their 2010 self-titled, you know to expect explosive sky-high party anthems that Andrew W.K. would be proud of. Listen to the massive “Asunder” in all of its glory, with harmonic guitar lines, sleigh bells, and one incredible triple harmony moment. Major will be out July 24th on Sargent House.
Genre: Post-Rock
Year: 2010
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Label: Sub Pop
MySpace
MP3: || “Rano Pano” ||
MP3: || “San Pedro” ||
Scottish post-rock heavyweights have got a new album coming out this February, with the appropriate title of Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will. Check out the the instrumental jams “Rano Pano” and “San Pedro” above and watch the beautiful short video for a remix of “How To Be A Werewolf” below. Hardcore can be preordered via Sub Pop on 2xLP.
Genre: Arena-Rock, Party-Rock
Year: 2010
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Label: Sargent House? Self-Released?
Myspace
MP3: || “Patterns on the Wall [ft. Andrew W.K]” ||
Arena-rockers Fang Island and party-hard freak Andrew W.K. teamed up to record “Patterns on the Wall,” quite possiblly the most epic track of 2010. Seriously, you’ll believe me when you hear the last minute and a half. Order this limited edition 7″ from Fang Island’s Store.
Genre: Ambient Pop, Indie Pop, Post-Rock
Year: 2010
Location: Cleveland/Akron, OH
Label: Bark and Hiss
MySpace
MP3: || “I’ve Been Searching” ||
MP3: || “33.3% Older Than I Am” ||
Comfort Clouds is “a team of scientists and engineers” formed from long-time friends and members of Ohio post-rockers Six Parts Seven. They claim that their “goal is to eventually be Steely Dan or Sade, but a bit more spectral.” That’s quite a goal, but nevertheless, the Akron and Clevelanders have crafted a beautiful pop debut, The Dinner Set, with ambient, post-rock, and jazz qualities that reflect both the fluid musicianship and amazing writing. Comfort Clouds are part of the Bark & Hiss label collective, with other notables Trouble Books, of whom make a few appearences on this record, and Talons. You can download the full album for $6 from BandCamp, where you can also order the CD or get it through the Bark & Hiss Store.
Genre: Electronic, Lo-Fi, Drone, Ambient, Post-Rock
Year: 2010
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Label: WORDS+DREAMS TAPES
MySpace
01. Mists & Tides
02. Renée
03. Kodachrome (Demo)
04. The Canal
05. || “Top Prize Fighter” ||
Guilty Ghosts is the one-man bedroom project of Tristan O’Donnell, a Brooklyn boy at heart. On his MySpace, he self-describes, “His music fuses somber washes of drone guitar with minimalist drum programming, creating a unique style of lo-fi instrumental bedroom pop. Guilty Ghosts’ songs are the kind fit for rainy days, everlasting evenings, and melancholy moments in solitude.” Enigma Variations is his debut cassette release on WORDS+DREAMS, also out of Brooklyn, NY. Download the whole tape above (click on the album art), or You can pick up the tape for a mega-cheap $5 either from the WORDS+DREAMS site, or from Guilty Ghosts’ Big Cartel. Keep a lookout for an upcoming cassette release of Chicagoans Glitter Bones’ Amulet Calls EP from the same tape label!
Check out the score he did for the 1988 anime film Akira.
Genre: Post-Rock, Instrumental
Year: 2010
Location: Cleveland OH
Label: Exit Stencil Recordings
MySpace
MP3: || “Spinning” ||
Genre: Blues Rock
Year: 2010
Location: Cleveland OH
Label: Exit Stencil Recordings
MySpace
MP3: || “Headed For A Felony” ||
MP3: || “(I’m Clearly) Rockin’ Too Hard For You” ||
Cleveland label Exit Stencil Recordings is set to release two great albums at the end of the summer walking into fall, with Like Bells’ Palma and the New Lou Reeds Hit Songs. Instrumental trio Like Bells follow up their incredible self-titled from last year with a similar sound, but with the inviting surprise of vocals throughout the album. The songs are as cohesive and strong as ever, but still in their gentle form, check out the above tracks for proof. The New Lou Reeds return from their 2006 album Top Billin’ with a bunch of boozy blues-rock tunes that would make fellow Clevelanders The Hot Rails proud. Check out the first two tracks from the upcoming album, “Headed For A Felony” and “(I’m Clearly) Rockin’ Too Hard For You.” Both of these were pressed on random recycled color vinyl, and let me tell you, they look really really cool. There’s some of the pretties below. Palma is up for preorder ($15 w/ shipping) on the Exit Stencil store right now, and Hit Songs should be added soon!
Day Of The Great Leap (2006)
01. Intro
02. White Widow
03. We Were Lions
04. S.S. Fort Jams
05. Meateater
06. Vlad
07. Tickle Mountain
08. The Landing
Sky Garden EP (2008)
01. Curaga
02. Absolute Place
03. Trustfall
Daisy (2010)
01. Daisy
02. Absolute Place (Yeasayer Remix)
Fang Island (2010)
01. Dreams of Dreams
02. Careful Crossers
03. Daisy
04. Life Coach
05. Sideswiper
06. The Illinois
07. Treeton
08. Davey Crockett
09. Welcome Wagon
10. Dorian
Genre: RAWK N ROLL, Instrumental, Post-Rock
Year: 2010
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Label: Sargent House
Myspace
For way too long now, one of my best friends has kept telling me, “Jeff, if you listen to Fang Island, they will become your favorite band.” I honestly slept on them for way way way too long, as they just hit me with a lightning bolt of awesomeness. Their enthusiasm-filled arena-rock mentality exploding with blasting drums, huge group vocals, and guitars from the heavens couldn’t be more perfect and/or amazing. It makes you feel like you’re at the Colosseum with 1,000 gladiators, but instead of fighting, everybody is partying, drinking a ton of beer, and having a great time! It could also be substituted for the soundtrack to Space Jam. I would point out a specific release and/or track, but I’m not kidding when I say this, every song f’ing rawks!!! But I will note that it’s only appropriate that Fang Island begins and ends with fireworks, totally not kidding. If you enjoy this music as much as I have, throw them a few bucks on their BandCamp/Digital site, it’ll help them make more music like this.
Genre: Progressive, Post-Rock, Post-Punk
Year: 2010
Location: Berlin, CT
Label: Unsigned
Myspace
01. Towers
02. Giving It All
03. Counting Electrical Storms
04. Within The Hour
Sub Verso, out of Berlin CT, play a various amount of different styles all fit into four songs. I was gracious enough to be able to listen to this 10″ on my turntable, which is a much different experience than my computer and headphones. The songs have elements of a big list of genres, including: electronic/post-rock/math/indie-rock/post-hardcore/garage/post-punk. “Towers” gleefully opens the Within The Hour, right into the beginning mathy riffs and overall post-punkiness of “Giving It All”. “Counting Electrical Storms” might be the highlight of the tracks, starting with a post-rock gloominess, quickly forming an indie rock atmosphere. The midway breakdown is soaring and beautiful, with fast-paced rhythms and far-away vocals. Title track, “Within The Hour”, is probably the progressive of all the tracks, which has the band running through bass/drum verses and heavy crescendos. Sub Verso seem like a somewhat young band, and for them to be recording music on this scale is pretty incredible. You can get your own 10″ of Within The Hour for only $6 by going over to their Band Camp or Big Cartel and getting a copy!
Genre: Post-Rock, Metal, Experimental
Year: 2009
Location: Belfast, Ireland
Label: Smalltown America
Myspace
1. Set Guitars To Kill
2. A Little Bit Of Solidarity Goes A Long Way
3. Clench Fists, Grit Teeth…Go!
4. I Capture Castles
5. Start A Band
6. Tip Of The Hat, Punch In The Face
7. If It Ain’t Broke, Break It
8. These Riots are Just the Beginning
9. Don’t Waste Time Doing Things You Hate
10. The Voiceless
11. Eat The City, Eat It Whole
Bonus Disc Tracklist:
1. Intro
2. Marching Over The Coals
3. Clench Fists, Grit Teeth… Go! (Live)
4. Holylands, 4AM (Live)
5. The Machine (Live)
6. thisRIOTSareJUSTtheBEGINNING (Original)
7. Mount Kailash
8. The Voiceless (Beat Down Motorcore Version)
Here is my first entry into the list of 2009 albums I missed that probably would have made my Best of list. And So I Watch You From Afar hail from Belfast, Ireland and take the post-rock convention and completely revamp it. Many people have that belief that all post-rock sounds the same, and I can say And So I Watch You From Afar completely disprove that. Just from the first track, “Set Guitars To Kill”, they play unapologetically and very loud. Perhaps my favorite part of this is how they incorporate many elements of metal into their music, something I haven’t heard very often. Included with the album itself is a bonus CD that has been floating around the Internet. If you haven’t heard of And So I Watch You From Afar, no need to miss out anymore.
Genre: Folk, Post-Rock
Year: 2009
Location: Chattanooga, Tennessee
Label: Unsigned
MySpace
01. SONAR SWELL
02. RETURN/STROLL
03. O
04. DESIGNED
05. TEETH
06. PROTECTOR
07. WONDER IF
08. FLASHLIGHT
09. FAMILY
10. BACK WHEN…
11. IT IS GOOD
IS ENERGY was sent to me by Josh of this five-piece Chattanooga band. I can honestly say he gave me a real challenge when attempting to write about FOREST MAGIC’s sound. The first track, “SONAR SWELL” screams post-rock, but following track, “RETURN STROLL”, breaks into crazy math-folk beats . Eventually they go back to a post-rock theme but it never stays constant, which makes this an interesting album. It’s spontaneous and ever-changing, but it’s never done in a bad way that bothers you, more a way that excites your ears. The stand-out track for me was “DESIGNED”, with its building guitar tones and exceptionally beautiful strings arrangement. FOREST MAGIC can’t seem to find a sound, but that’s exactly what makes them unique. Whether going from folk, to math-rock, to psych-pop, to post-rock, they sound comfortable in any of the music they are making.
Genre: Ambient, Post-Rock
Year: 2009
Location: Linköping, Sweden
Label: Hockey Rawk
MySpace
Side A
01. Ice Tongue
02. A Jumpy Trek
03. Stuck On A Floating Ice Shelf
Side B
01. Drilling And Diving
02. The Stuff We Found
03. Medicine, Men And Hands
Word Word Salad hail from Sweden, and they specialize in some powerful music. Side A begins with “Ice Tongue”, starting off with a looping guitar track, and slowly building in multiple layered guitars creating perfect harmony. The second half of Side A is really where Word Wood Salad show off their ambient skills, producing soft dreamy synths ending like a good dream. Side B takes on a spacier drone approach, but seemingly ends with a heavy nostalgic feeling, like remember a childhood memory. I can honestly say that I did not expect to be this blown away by Word Word Salad. Their ability to evoke emotion within the depths of their music is a skill that I will never fully understand. In a year full of jawdropping ambiance, Word Wood Salad stand out with this amazing release. Head on over to Hockey Rawk to get a copy of this, this is a must for anybody from Sweden.
Genre: Indie, Post-Rock, Psychedelic
Year: 2009
Location: LA, CA
Label: Manimal Vinyl
MySpace
01. Stars
02. Elephants
03. Billie Holiday
04. Beetles
05. Burgundy
06. Krimson
Exquisite Corpse is the debut EP of Warpaint, an LA band made of up three girls. Warpaint has been described as a ridiculous number of genres, but they describe themselves as a psychedelia band. While that is definitely there, they specialize in creepy indie music, with post-rock tones in the mix. They originally self-released this, but they are re-releasing on Manimal Vinyl on vinyl/CD/digital with extra song “Krimson”. They have also signed to Rough Trade Records, and a debut album is expected next year. It’s evident that this music is young on this EP, but it still sound extremely mature for a debut. I only expect that to get better on the full-length
Genre: Post-Rock
Year: 2009
Location: Beverly, MA
Label: The Mylene Sheath
MySpace
01. Mie
02. La Cerva
03. Ghosts Of The Garden City
04. Malacoda
05. Epochs in Dmaj
06. Of Foam And Wave
07. Concrescence
08. The Raven
09. Vienna
10. Sycamore
Goddamn, Caspian is so fucking good. They are tearing Europe apart right now.
Genre: Shoegaze, Post-Rock
Year: 2009
Location: London, UK
Label: The Social Registry
Myspace
01. Love That Moves the Sun
02. Airlock
03. Through Air Over Water
04. Close To the Ground
05. Grow Again, Repeat
06. Troubled, Shaken Etc.
07. First Song – Angelina
08. Vanishing
09. White
10. Longstrakt
11. To Thine Own Self Be True
12. The Low Lights
13. Saltwater
Most acts on The Social Registry break out into the most experimental sounds imaginable (which is a good thing), so it’s really nice to have a band come around that takes that influence and expands it into something beautiful. It’s hard to call Sian Alice Group specifically a shoegaze band, because they put out so many different styles and tones that it’s hard to pinpoint them. From post-rock, to jazz, to ambient, to minimalist, even pop, all of these styles project gloriously. While the musicianship is top-notch, the trump factor is definitely the vocals of Sian Ahern. They are absolutely haunting and gorgeous at the same time.
Genre: Ambient, Post-Rock, Electronic
Year: 2009
Location: Leeds, UK
Label: Gizeh Records
MySpace
1. One Down
2. Evil Dogs
3. .
4. I Am A Crooked Man
5. Pissing About
6. ..
7. History Is Made At Night
8. You’re In My Thoughts
9. …
10. All Things But You Are Silent
11. Arrivals
Don’t let the conventional post-rock tag fool you, this is very much different. Worriedaboutsatan definitely pull the post-rock strings with the heavy tone, and slow buildups, but I find it truly hard to call this a post-rock album. I say this because I know people have already downloaded this with expectations that were not met. I will admit I downloaded with the same expectations, but I chose to dig a little deeper into the music. The electronics absolutely shine, as their are almost no guitars, drums, or bass of any kind, and most songs are fueled by ambient beats. Anybody can truly immerse themselves into this album. It’s hard to listen to half of a song, or even half of the album, cause I get this feeling like its not complete. While getting lost in the music, the music does require some attention as each songs runs on an average of eight minutes, and the album as a whole is sixty-two minutes. I heavily recommend this album because their are very few bands doing what this album does this well.
Genre: Indie, Folk, Post Rock
Year: 2009
Location: Townsville, Australia
Label: Spunk
MySpace
Tracklist:
01. The Darkest Side
02. Beleriand
03. Lonely
04. Blood
05. Fool’s Gold
06. Pig Food
07. The Fall of Man
08. Tsietsi
This may well be some of the best music released in 2009. I remember driving home one morning when it when was cold and foggy, and then I put this album on. It felt so right and perfect, almost surreal. “The Darkest Side” is filled with layered guitars and eerie harmonies. “Lonely” starts with whispered vocals, and ends like a post-rock anthem with distant screams. I can’t put my finger on it, but something is terribly good about this band. They released this version of the album on their Myspace, and then release a smaller five-song version for retail. I think eight songs are better than five.
Genre: Post Rock
Year: 2008
Location: Chicago, IL
Label: Copper Lung
MySpace
Tracklist:
01. Lit Up Under Streetlights
02. We Are Ruins
03. Way With Wolves
04. Boy Detective
05. Sound Of Static
06. City At Peace
07. Terrified Of What We Might Become
08. Traps And Traps
09. Your Plane Leaves Tomorrow
When I found out that Oceans might be playing a show at my friend’s apartment, I nearly freaked out. Oceans play somewhat old-fashioned post-rock, but they add unique aspects at every instrument in almost every song. For me, the drums stood out the most, as the drummer will most times ride the bass drum as a fill. While that may not sound like much, it’s all of those little things that add together for an absolutely stunning record.
Genre: Post-Rock, Indie
Year: 2009
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Label: The Imaginary Kind
MySpace
Tracklist:
1. Colombian Fireworks
2. So The Story Goes
3. Midfield Maestro
4. Guising
5. Off With Their Heads
6. I Like The Lights
7. A Kind Of Furnace
8. We Sleep Through The Bombs
9. Headlights
10. We Were A Roman Candle
11. Says Aye
12. Foreign Thoughts
13. Joined Up Writing
I don’t think “Colombian Fireworks” could be a more perfect first song for this record. “For there will be fireworks, and they will light up your eyes, and you will feel more alive than ever.” Must I say more?
