The Rock Blogger

“The Man from Harold Wood” - Matthew Good Band.

Time lapse photography set to Matthew Good’s brooding instrumental track. The song’s title and Arsenal game samples are supposedly tributes to his English father. It can be found on the Loser Anthems EP and the deluxe In a Coma compilation.

Red Sparowes. Aphorisms EP. 2008. 4 stars.

The latest EP from Red Sparowes is not only a fine step forward for the band, but its also one of the most solid post-rock releases of the year. Taking the Isis-meets-math rock approach even further, Aphorisms has all the shimmering tones you would expect from a modern post-rock album yet the rhythmic quality and metal influence here distinguishes their melodies from the rest of the pack.

The three instrumental tracks here are far more streamlined than those on previous albums, as Red Sparowes trims away the drawn out intros, crescendos and sound effects to keep the focus on tight song craft. This new found cohesion gives their work a more refined sense of urgency and is just more listenable overall.

Even after this progression though, its still difficult to break away from the general formulas shaping this genre - you’d be hard-pressed to identify a Red Sprarowes song played between those of say Pelican or Russian Circles. But the band are moving forward, so in consideration of where they have been and where they are going, Aphorisms is definitely worth checking out. Whether you want to rock out to something celestial or just want to veg out to some stoner jams, this EP should provide the right type of experience.

This Will Destroy You . This Will Destroy You. 2008. 3.5 stars

I finally got a hold of this after some early hype had surrounded its release in January. There was certainly a lot of internet chatter deriding TWDY as just another clone of Explosions in the Sky and other established post-rock groups, simply emulating their heartbreaking and minimalist guitar-driven epics.

But the more interesting criticisms, in my opinion, came from those expressing that this effort was made not to be revolutionary or individualist, but self-less and atmospheric, succumbing to seemingly natural musical rhythms and ambient structures. Mogwai and Mono didn’t invent picking styles and soft/loud dynamics did they? When you play something so emotionally revealing and lyrical, you almost forget about the band’s identity and scene, they’re just perfectly nameless.

Sometimes music doesn’t need to be technically advanced or unconventional to be remarkable, it just needs to move you. Also, I don’t think This Will Destroy You is a carbon-copy of EITS or Caspian, etc, I think they’re paying close attention to the more ambient guitar work from experimental bands like Labradford. Just listen to their Mi Media Naranja album as an example of how electronic drumming and effects can subtly used along with sparse, haunting guitar riffs.

There is great attention payed to the sounds of the drums, both live and digital, which is welcomed and interesting, but the melodies are never crafted with the same complexity. Give them time I say, and they will take a few needed detours in their sound, taking serpentine riffs and crescendos to some place new.

Even still, taken out of its historical context, the music itself is graceful, trippy and emotionally engaging. These qualities are amplified further by the ambient, celestial atmosphere that carries over this LP’s entirety. So post-rock fans, of everything from Slint, to Caspian, to EITS, you’ll find something to like in these guys.

Check out this beautiful video that was made to “A 3 Legged Workhorse”

Russian Circles. Station . 2008. 3.5 stars .

Chicago’s Russian Circles play kinetic and aggressive post-rock in the same sludgy tradition as city mates Pelican, crafting expansive instrumental songs that are filled with shimmering guitars and powerful rhythms. Continuing on with the success that was their 2006 debut Enter , Russian Circles’ latest offering pares back on their metal flourishes as they venture to cosmic planes, opting for a sound that is interstellar but not pretentious. These virtuosoes avoid self-indulgent noodling and instead anchor their songs with strong driving beats and deep, fluid bass lines. By carefully blending their metal and post-rock aspirations together, Russian Circles steer clear of derivative Mogwai and Isis worship and create something that is both intense and stratospheric.

The album begins with the crystalline riffs of "Campaign" which starts things off delicately enough to draw you in. The guitar melodies are immediately effective and opens things up with calm anticipation. "Harper Lewis" kicks in heavy drum rolls before the guttural, slithering bass joins in. Jangly guitar lines hover in between, opening up the space of the track before the intense metal riffs begin chugging along. Astral guitars then begin to scream across the mix in the most lyrical fashion imaginable, reminding me of Explosions in the Sky’s magnificent "Greet Death". The following "Station" keeps up the pace and glides across with hypnotic bass fills and distorted guitars that play against the swirling drum cycles and cymbal crashes. Just try to not bang your head along to these monstrous riffs, it really is difficult to restrain yourself.

The beautiful "Versus" veers back to post-rock territory, as icy riffs line droning reverb, sounding like a heavier version of a glacial Sigur Ros song, before fully extending into heart-breaking melodies. The speedy "Youngblood" abandons the clean veneer and rocks out with tight guitar riffs and furious drumming, played out with impeccable precision. The slow and tension filled "Xavii" closes things off with some final celestial passages.

As I hope I have demonstrated with my descriptions above, Station features some amazing musicianship as the band’s sense of timing, melody and dynamics are pristine and accessible. If this album had come out a decade ago, it would easily be considered a post-rock masterpiece. Unfortunately though this Station is just one stop among many others, never managing to go the extra mile to differentiate itself from the work of other post-metal masters. Yet as a companion piece to the work of Pelican, or Zebulon Pike, Isis, etc., Station fits perfectly among its peers and will provide the kind of astral, bong-ripping experience fans of the genre are searching for. So if you want to be captivated by an intense performance, look to the Russian Circles.

“Harper Lewis” Live

One of GYBE’s greatest accomplishments, from their Slow Riot For New Zerø Kanada EP (1999).

Beautiful, orchestral post-rock that still remains unrivaled in the genre.

World’s End Girlfriend. Hurtbreak Wonderland. 2007. 3.5 stars.

WEG is the solo project of Japanese virtuoso Katsuhiko Maeda who produces lush post rock songs tinged with neoclassical and break beat flourishes. Unlike WEG’s collaboration with Mono (see here), Hurtbreak Wonderland avoids sounding mournful and instead relishes in hallucinative fantasy, conjuring an Alice in Wonderland type of narrative as suggested by the astounding cover art.

The songs here are instrumental but are far removed from conventional rock dynamics, opting for wild pairings of melodic strings and intense electronic beats, creating a swirling experience similar to the work of Venetian Snares. Songs like “Birthday Resistance” and “100 Years of Choke” move from pleasant, classically inspired compositions into bombastic freak-outs, creating dramatic transitions that are often dizzying in their execution. Most of the album carries on in this fashion, as gorgeous piano, harp and brass fills are layered over the vivid drum and bass patterns.

Hurtbreak Wonderland is an incredibly detailed and eclectic album that consistently sounds organic and fresh, coaxing the listener to wander in its blossoming passages. Despite its technical prowess, some of the movements tend to drag on in spots, leaving portions of the album sounding unfocused. Maeda occasionally manages to anchor everything with his propulsive beats, but the surge of strings and keyboards is in constant lift, leaving some unresolved tension between the elements. Despite the often confounding juxtapositions here, Hurtbreak Wonderland is a beautiful and original record that clearly breaks new ground in the post-rock genre. The cornucopia of instruments and noises used here leaves plenty of room for continued exploration. In short, WEG has created a deep and dreamy effort that begs for multiple listens.

Birthday Resistance

October Falls is the project of Finland’s Mikko Lehto, who creates haunting acoustic folk songs reminiscent of Ulver’s black metal trilogy. While the guitar melodies, accompanied by delicate piano and martial drumming, are stunningly beautiful, they also convey a dark woodland atmosphere, as this video reveals. Despite looking like something I would have made in my second year of Film School, this clip really captures the mood of October Falls’ excellent album Marras (2005). It’s easily one of the most impressive neo-folk albums I’ve come across.

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

- William Butler Yeats The Second Coming 1920.

Earth. The Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull. 2008. 3.5 stars.

This is music for stoned, post-apocalyptic cowboys, like the Mad Max set, but more relaxed and pining for a peyote journey. The influential and experimental Earth, who revolutionized stoner rock with the minimalist drones of 2, return to the doomed Western landscapes they began exploring with 2005’s Hex. The jams here are slow, heavy and hypnotic, luring you with its steady, slithering bass grooves and catatonic drumming. The mood they establish is introspective and sedative, nudging you into an ancient and primal feelings.

Read More »

We’re in the thermo-nuclear era…

A beautiful and stark Youtube video for Godspeed You Black Emperor’s “Rockets Fall on Rocket Falls”, a musical section from their grandiose album Yanqui U.X.O. It’s amazing how political and dystopian Godspeed’s music can be without the utterance of a single lyrical verse.