Waking Aida video – Glow Coin

Here is the video for the track Glow Coin from their album that is due for release on June 2nd. You can pre-order the album from their Bandcamp and catch them at any number of shows across the UK in June.

2nd June – Avondale House, Southampton

3rd June – Firebug, Leicester w/ Alpha Male Tea Party

4th June – Bar 1:22, Huddersfield

5th June – Mother’s Ruin, Bristol

6th June, The Black Heart, London

7th June, The Ferret, Preston

8th June, Buffalo Bar, Cardiff w/ Alpha Male Tea Party

28th August – Arctangent Festival w/ Russian Circles, Maybeshewill

  

Body Hound – Rhombus Now

Reviewed by: TenaciousListening

Technical music. Is it just showing off? Very often it is, but I do find myself drawn to it if the tracks work as tracks, rather than absurd wank-a-thons designed to stroke the ego of musicians who don’t know how to play for a song, but could definitely melt your God. Damn. Face. Off from 100 yards.

So that is why I dig bands such as Between The Buried and Me and Tool, and why I tend to prefer technical death metal over the classic grindier type. Another band I class as technical with a great mind for writing songs (however mental they may be) is RoloTomassi. Their first two albums are some of my favourite albums. Then two members left; two reasons I didn’t find their third offering quite as invigorating as the previous releases. Joseph Nicholson, the guitarist, wrote one of my go to riffs to (try to) play when I pick up the guitar, the first riff from the I Love Turbulance track. It is the perfect mix of technical without losing its sense of melody. So what am I blabbering on about…?

Well a couple of years on Joseph and the bassist (Joseph Thorpe) formed Body Hound with another couple of guys (Ex-Antares, RedmistDestruction), and damn if they ain’t great!

Sure, the first time you listen your mind is mangled by poly rhythmic madness, time signatures chop and change, and tempos switch at a moments notice. You need a sit down to recover, but then you need to listen again.

What really stands out is that in the first half of the album especially, despite the changing tempos and time signatures, there is still groove; the tracks don’t really feel disjointed despite their technicality. This becomes even more impressive when you realize that the tracks rarely revisit an idea. They take a riff, develop it, and then move on. Album opener Vector Approaching displays my point perfectly. It has hit its third section by the time it has hit one minute in, but you cannot fail to be pulled along by their mastery of time signature mangling riffage.

Sometimes the guitars harmonize, only to go off in different directions, finally meeting up once more. Systems is guitar harmony heaven for a lot of it, but the sections where each guitar goes its own way is superb. The rhythm section gets some spotlight action as well, but throughout the album the bass and drums hold everything together without being overplayed. The bass especially is quite happy to keep up with the guitars at any point, but is totally cool with dropping back and just grooving.

The intro to Void is very RoloTomassi, but that is the only time I have been reminded of them in the whole album. It is also the first track that really lets up from a barrage of riffing, at least for the first minute or so. Then it is full on again, the polyrhythmic ideas are mind-blowing. It could be two tracks playing separately sometimes, but still they work surprisingly well together.

The second half of the album is maybe a little more discordant than previous tracks. Their Stravinsky inspiration coming through, I guess. Momentum flies off the handles straight away and feels atonal (my music theory is not great, but it lacks any strong resolution that I can hear). This gives the track a great sense of movement without any abrupt changes in the riffs. It just flows perfectly from beginning to end. Perseus Arm starts in a similar vein with discordant and chaotic harmonized guitar lines. It gains much more time signature groove later on and the bass thunders in and grinds away wonderfully to push the track along.

Then we finish with the title track. We already know what to expect, but we are not disappointed. It is heavily syncopated in parts it is still less chaotic than what has come before it, but delightfully heavy and a suitable place for the album to finish.

Rhombus Now is perfectly organized chaos. If you like math-rock you have no excuse not to fall in love with this. I did have to give it a few listens through before it really started to shine, but once it started shining I could not give it up. Body Hound could be the biggest instrumental math-rock band of recent years. Here’s hoping, because this is a stupendous debut.

 

tags: alternative progressive rock math rock mathcore prog progressive United Kingdom

Row Boat – In Between

Reviewed By TenaciousListening

Last week I reviewed Row Boat’s ‘Shallow Waters’ EP that was released this year. In the process of researching I found that a full album had also been released. This is it.

‘Shallow Waters’ is dark. ‘In Between’ is the dawning day, the rising sun; a lazy day with somebody that you care about deeply. Despite the contrast between the two releases we find that multi-instrumentalist Mark Wardale has an incredible ability to deliver compositions that are dense with layers while sometimes fooling you into thinking there is a minimalist approach to these tracks. He can take you on roaming journeys that bring you back to where you started, but you are not certain that you’ve actually traveled anywhere.

Take, for instance, “Meet Me At The Colosseum”. The opening track spans nearly 9 minutes of droning ambience and sparse piano tinkles. Violin adds more interest as the track progresses, yet nothing really happens. It is like a deep, deep, daydream and, this is the important bit, carries me throughout without losing my interest. I spend the whole track intrigued but how it is all carried off. This is ambient music that does not just make me want to let it drift into my subconscious. I cannot recommend this enough.

“Even After Memories” starts like a ship coming to dock through near opaque fog. The percussion and female vocals really bring this track to life and at some points so much is going on I cannot choose what to listen to, but it all breaks down perfectly into ambient noises

“All Of The Lighthouses” hooks me in with the delayed keys adding interest through another wall of bowed ambience while an almost metronomic beat builds from underneath and then the track fades away.

I am a pluviophile (read that carefully) so I was delighted when the rain comes down in “Hollow”. The piano sounds like the fresh feeling in the air as rain comes in to cleanse, absolutely beautiful.

There is definitely a darker side shown in “The Dying Art of Romance”. The staccato beats are the focus of the track and the distorted words that play among the beats are almost scary. For the first time the album builds to a massive crescendo of noise and beaten snare drum. If you did ever drift away at any point you are certainly awake now!

“You Hand, My Hand, And The Stars” has a screeching high end that is almost painful listening through my poor speakers (I long to spend some money on a decent sound system), but it is still a wonderful wall of sound as the album beings to wind down.

“Later That Day” that reminds me that Row Boat are often compared to Sigur Ros, due to the Hopelandic style vocals that mix in with layers of noise. The fact that this is the first time I’ve thought this all album is a testament to the fact those influences aside; Row Boat is an inspiration in himself.

Then the discordance of the hammered piano in album closer, “What It Is To Feel”, is slightly uncomfortable until the arpeggiated melody launches the track. The urgency is tense and the whole track feels unresolved. The perfect way to make you want to press play again!

Seriously one of my favourite releases this year. Again I will say that I cannot recommend this enough. If you like your ambient music to have a bit of bite to keep you attentive then this is for you.

   

tags: ambient mark wardale postrock sigur ros visual United Kingdom

Row Boat – Shallow Waters

Row Boat. What a name. I saw it and thought, “Probably an indie, possibly math rock band”. I couldn’t really be much further from the truth, but it shows the power that a name can have. If you are not aware, like I wasn’t, Row Boat is the work of one man; multi-instrumentalist Mark Wardale. He is based in the UK, which might throw some of you off due to the obvious SigurRos influence that pokes through this EP. Luckily Row Boat isn’t just a rip off and I was certainly surprised when I pressed the play button.

“Ever After Memories” completely throws me off guard. This is not what I expected. It is a dark drone with a near industrial beat and breathy female ahhs that lay over swells, and pianos and glockenspiel (or similar) instruments. It is a real slow progressing track that deconstructs itself once it has built to its highest point. No crescendo, just an ambient wall.

My interest is now truly peaked. I am expecting another three tracks of pretty much the same ideas. I am taken by surprise. “Orkan” is darker and denser than the previous track, but also with some lighter ambient swells. I completely get the Sigur Ros comparison, especially with the Hopelandic style vocals that eventually bury themselves into the heavily delayed and soaked in reverb noise; it feels like it could sneak into the tracking listing for Kveikur.

“Karleksbrev” gave me the image of an elderly man, a man who had some stature, hunched over a piano as his life plays out. There is a certain sadness that lies underneath the piano melodies, one that sings of the joy that eventually brought on these feelings. It is a welcome reprieve from the ambience and noise of the previous tracks.

The final track, “Inertia”, brings together the ideas explored across the album. A more prominent piano plays over ambient noises. These sounds eventually envelop the piano and more Hopelandic vocals take its place and the sound develops to and from the piano until noise plays the track out.

I can honestly say that I was completely wrong in my preconceptions towards the sound and style explored in this EP. Shallow Waters is four tracks that work together incredibly well without stepping on each other’s metaphorical toes. This displays Mark Wardale’s brilliant compositional skills and I am saddened that I had missed this artist’s past releases, but am elated that I have something truly great to discover. A review for another 2014 release from Row Boat is coming your way very soon.

   

tags: 2013 ambient bottle imp ep prova shallow waters mark wardale postrock sigur ros visual United Kingdom

Roundtable Review: Lowercase Noises – This Is For Our Sins

For the April edition of our Roundtable Review we’ve chosen ‘This Is For Our Sins’ by Lowercase Noises, the moniker of multi-talented ambient artist Andy Othling. To get a better of understanding of the meaning of this album and it’s importance, Andy penned the following to us when we received our copy of the album for review:

“..this album is written about the Lykov family, who lived isolated in the Siberian wilderness for over 40 years. I’d highly recommend you check out this article about it. It’s an incredible story, and I think it will help you get more out of the album.”

As you might imagine the anticipation going into this Roundtable is that ‘This Is For Our Sins’  would be a much different experience than we’re use to from Othling. Without further ado..

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 I think I subconsciously put artists into boxes when I first listen to or stumble upon them. I’d like not to, but I think that’s what happens. There are the artists who have “made it”, and there are those who are still “bedroom” musicians. The lines might blur occasionally, with acts like Lights & Motion exploding on and beyond the scene despite humble beginnings. Generally though, I listen with different ears to music by Mogwai as I do to that of Good Weather for an Airstrike, for example. That’s not to discredit any of the works released under the bedroom musician’s name; I just find that it somehow affects the way in which I judge what I hear.

My point with this is that I have always kept Lowercase Noises in the little box, where my expectations for variety and studio polish are a little more forgiving. For this reason, the opening track of This Is for Our Sins caught me off guard entirely — I was blown away by the sophistication of what I was hearing. The album doesn’t sound like it was made by a “bedroom” musician (I cringe at my use of this term as the advancement of available technology moves to render such notation irrelevant); This Is for Our Sins is an extremely competent and professional piece of work, befitting any band of experience.

There aren’t any specific songs that stand out to me, but all serve to satisfy the senses. There is more outright rock here than in Lowercase Noises’s past — which I really dig — and I’d perhaps credit that to the novel use of live drumming. This kind of thing shows the real growth of Lowercase Noises over previous efforts. I also like that the second track reminds me so much of Sigur Ros, despite such familiarity. The vocals throughout the album are a nice addition, acting as milestones to track the progress of the album’s narrative. What surprised me the most is that I have never been bored by This Is for Our Sins, which is saying a lot for an album that is 60+ minutes of mostly-ambient, instrumental music. I don’t like that banjo though; sometimes it serves a purpose to lift the mood, but mostly it’s jarring. But don’t let that be a major deterrent. – Shooter

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I have no qualms with concept albums. In fact I really enjoy cohesive albums that do not sound like just a few songs put on disc. Luckily This Is For Our Sins feels like most of the tracks are united in the name of telling a story. However that story is not always the one about the Lykov Family who lived in the wilderness of Russia for over 40 years. No, it often slips into Northern Georgia with Burt Reynolds or even an evening with Michael Flatley!

OK, I am being facetious, but the first time that Banjo makes itself known in The Hungry Years I instantly thought of the banjo duel in Deliverance. I can see no place for a Banjo in a concept album based in Russia. Andy Othling has said (in a Reddit AMA) that it was used because “I didn’t set out to make Russian music. I set out to make music that expresses my own feelings about the Lykov family and tell their story in my own way.” Fair enough, but it doesn’t sit right with me and detracts from the overall power of the album.

I’ll explain the Michael Flatley comment now. The piano melody towards the end of album opener Death in a Garden reminds me of the melody from the hymn, Lord of The Dance. It does work with the track, but it does mean that I think of rows of Irish people shaking their legs about whenever I hear that part. The melody also returns in track ten, Prepare to Die, but Sow the Rye. It is something that takes away from the overall experience of listening to the album, simply because I associate it with something else.

After all that, what do I think about this album? Well I actually really like it. I feel that the first two tracks are the strongest on the album, which is a shame as it detracts from the other great tracks that are on there, but all the tracks are well composed, expertly produced and carry those Lowercase Noises’ trademarks (Volume swells, slide guitar, that bloody Banjo, etc.) without just being a rehash of previous works.

This is forward thinking Lowercase Noises; an ambient album that does not have to work hard to keep my attention like other ambient albums might. I really enjoy the vocal work, especially the end of Prepare to Die, but Sow the Rye; overall they help strengthen the concept. The additional musicians bring a lot to the table too. The percussion brings life to the tracks, especially Death in a Garden, which actually feels pretty heavy in sections, and I am a sucker for Cello and Violin parts; they are such emotive instruments and they really carry the album’s overall atmosphere.

This is a great album, but there are some elements that detract from my complete enjoyment. I have to applaud Andy Othling for putting this out; I think it is the strongest release that I have heard from Lowercase Noises. – TenaciousListening

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I’ve been a fan of Lowercase Noises’ work since he released his “Migratory Patterns” EP. In our house, it’s called “The Whale Album” and rightfully so. My whole family adores it, even my infant son falls asleep to its soothing tones.

Then “Passage” came out, and it was a step in a new direction. It had new instrumentation, a whole new feeling that he hadn’t explored before. From the accordion-like sounds to the banjo, it all fit together so well.

When I saw that Lowercase Noises had announced a new full-length album, I was absolutely ecstatic. If he could make amazing EPs, imagine what a LP would sound like! He said it’d be a conceptual album, based on the Lykov family, who had all died in the harsh Siberian winters. (Beautiful stories, by the way)

Now, when you think of a Russian winter, what do you think of? A harsh, unforgiving environment, surely. Lowercase Noises definitely thought the same thing, with Minor tonalities abounding, this is definitely another step in a different direction for Andy Othling, the one man band behind Lowercase Noises.

However, there is one major problem with the album. A Banjo. Every Postrockstar staff member has mentioned the overabundance of the banjo in this album, so I know it’s not just me who thinks that it doesn’t belong in this album. The perfect example of this would be in “Requiem”, which, at first, feels like a song about how you feel after all of the funeral attendees have left. You’re all alone, left with the bittersweet feeling of leaving someone you love behind, knowing that they’re in a better place… Until the banjo comes in. Literally every time I was really getting into the music, the banjo would make an appearance. Out of all the things you could picture about a Russian winter, a banjo isn’t one of them. It was a fun bit in “Passage” but he never should’ve thought about using it for “This Is For Our Sins.”

Tinny plinking aside, there are a lot of good things to say about this album. Andy’s always had a very firm grip on composition and layering, and this album showcases it just as much as any other album of his. The times I was getting into the music were very well done, and the production quality is superb. In one song I could actually hear the sound of wood striking wood as the piano was being played. This only happens on the highest notes, and it’s the best example of how well this was recorded.

Overall, I can’t truthfully say that I enjoyed this album. That Banjo would take me right out of the music every time it made a sound. It’s a serious issue when it comes to this album. It’s supposed to be a conceptual album, and I’m pretty sure the Russians didn’t have a banjo to play during the cold winter nights. I’m just glad I only pre-ordered the digital album instead of the $22 vinyl. – Foofer

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It goes without saying that this is a very important album in the career of Andy Othling. To date we’ve seen Andy, better known as Lowercase Noises become something of a virtuoso within the ambient kingdom. In the world of Melatonin simulating slow jams Lowercase Noises is absolutely the king of the jungle, the Mufasa if you will (that’s a Lion King reference, folks).

This album is important for his career because it is a bold departure from anything else we’ve seen in the past from Andy. And he’s not doing it alone this time either, as this album features eight other musicians lending their talents towards this magnum opus effort. What they’ve accomplished on this album is nothing short of impressive, making ‘This Is For Our Sins’ the most technically pleasing album in the Lowercase Noises discography. This album is glorious from front to back in nearly every aspect. The rich, vibrant cello work, the wonderful guitar tones, the sensual piano with just that itty bit hint of bass, and the vocals, well, they’re nothing short of these  heavenly heartfelt passages that garnish the rest of this musical feast very naturally and are surely going to be the most under appreciated part of this album.

Do you want to know another masterpiece ambient album that’s vocals went highly under appreciated? The 2013 effort of Olafur Arnold’s ‘For Now I am Winter’. That album is spectacular on every front and is the album I’m choosing to draw a direct comparison to as I try to convey to you just how magical ‘This Is For Our Sins’ feels to this reviewer. I’ll admit that even after a dozen or so listens and plenty of research on the Lykov family, I haven’t quite been able to tune into the conceptual side of this album.  But even if I still haven’t keyed in on the bigger picture that is being painted through the music, my ears are trained enough to know when they’re hearing something truly special, and that’s exactly what I feel as I listen to ‘This Is For Our Sin’ on repeat.

Just try to listen to “What Would There Be Out Here to Hurt Me” without feeling the music’s beauty. Try to tell me that there isn’t something magically triumphant about “The Hungry Years”. I dare you to listen to “Famine and the Death of a Mother” and not applaud the beautiful instrument arrangement and top-notch production values. There isn’t a single moment on this album that my ears dislike. This is an A+ effort through and through. Is this the peak for Lowercase Noises? I honestly have to believe so, because it’s going to take a truly remarkable effort to top this piece of art Andy Othling has created. A must listen that will absolutely be on my year end list. Oh and one final thing; Never stop playing that Banjo, Andy — It’s a signature sound that I love (sorry guys, gotta oppose all the banjo hate) – James

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You’ve heard from us, now hear from what others are saying about ‘This Is For Our Sins’. These comments were taken from the chat during the album’s world premiere live stream on youtube hosted by Andy himself.

“Holy Sigur Rós that was magnificent!!!” – kaleidoscopicFILMS 

“This is the highlight of my day – thanks Andy!” – Michael D.

“I’ve listened to your stuff all day and found myself staring our the window just reflecting on life…your stuff has a way of inspiring deep thought because it comes from a place of deep thought.” – Ken K.

“Andy, this album is the most beautiful stuff you’ve ever written.” – Taylor V.

“To me, part of the beauty of this music is that it sounds very different from your previous stuff but feels very familiar to me. great work!” – Jim B

“Wow. This is beautiful! I love the use of vocals in this album.” – Josh W.

“This is absolutely breathtaking and overwhelming. In a good way, of course. You sir are incredibly underappreciated! This is divine” – ptasiemleczkogurompt 

“This is just spectacular Andy. I’m almost at a loss for words ..” – Matt T.

“Great work Andy! You have a great ear for arrangement, and interesting melodies.” – Zac C 

 

tags: ambient drone experimental instrumental post-rock Albuquerque

Sora Shima – You Are Surrounded

Blinded by Audrey Fall’s fantastic debut album that instantly made its way to the top of my 2014 list I had been listening to that and also preparing myself for ArcTanGent Festival this year by gorging myself on releases by the many unmissable bands from their line-up. When perusing Reddit’sPostRocksubreddit I found a user who had posted their top ten post-rock releases so far this year. “No Audrey Fall”, I scoffed and then my eyes fell on this name, SoraShima.

You Are Surrounded was released on 16^th February this year and is New Zealand’s dark and dreamy instrumental sonic rockers SoraShima’s first long player after having released three EPs since they formed in 2006. Despite being a complete mouthful, dark and dreamy instrumental sonic rockers pretty much lays down what you need to know about these guys. However there is one major factor that is really going to decide for you how you feel about this album…

Opening track Gang Violins is ambient and electronic, to start with. Soothing, swirling pads play around punchy electric beats and then a Mogwai tracks plays….

Hang on…what?

To say that SoraShima display some Mogwai influences would be an understatement. It manifests mainly in the guitars; the tone, the melodies, the production. Just listen to the beginning of ‘And Behold A Pale Horse’ and tell me that it is not a track sadly missed from one of Mogwai’s early works. Some would scream ”rip-off”. I am much more lenient.

The tracks are solidly written and almost effortlessly display the ability to move between rocked out and ambient. ‘Fill Spectre’begins as full on indie rock and becomes a swathe of ambience. ‘Glass Coffins’ is bouncy delay filled melodies and then a Mono wall of tremolo picked sound. These are just the opening tracks, there is much more to come.

Track ‘Sendai / Kurosawa’ is a highlight for me. It would be, I like long tracks. Sixteen minutes begins with a really familiar piano melody; could not put my finger on it though. Then a sound growls from beneath the mix and the guitars enter. The motif chord pattern creates an effect that I really hold high in composition where the track has lots of movement without really going anywhere. The tension felt, as you know something massive has to happen soon, is one of the best feelings music can give you (in this writer’s humble opinion). When it breaks the tension you feel happily relieved.

Their sleeves are worn heavy with influences, but it all comes fitted together under the SoraShima banner. Each track knows its place and paces itself beautifully. It feels that there is a minimalist approach to how the instruments interact and play out. Each one has its space and never imposes uninvited into the path of another. This really is ambient post-rock at its finest.

We do have to come back to that Mogwai sound though. Is this album nearly two decades too late? It did bother me initially, but this is a brilliant album and if you let it bother you then you really are missing out.

If it had come out in the mid-90s, before Young Team, maybe we would be hailing SoraShima as one of the big players in this massive musical ocean that we call Post-Rock. Don’t let it put you off. You Are Surrounded is worth every second of your time.

 

   

tags: explosions in the sky godspeed you black emperor mogwai mono rock sigur ros ambient drone indie instrumental post-metal post-rock postrock shoegaze soundscapes triphop Hamilton

OBE – Partners

Reviewed by: TenaciousListening

OBE’s debut album, Partners, is an exhausting piece of work. The ideas flow thick and fast, the dual guitar attack is full of imaginative melodies and counter melodies whilst the rhythm section thankfully, lest they completely run away from each other, holds them together with generally simpler arrangements. Or that is the feeling I sometimes got while listening to this album. In actual fact the often-separate guitar parts are expertly crafted to compliment each other while they could easily stand up on their own.

This is instrumental math rock, with leanings towards the heavier side of things and a smattering of tremolo picked parts that hint at some post-rock inspiration. There are no obvious crescendos, but the tracks build and build their sections between the bigger riffs and even the often-changing ideas fit well together without feeling forced.

Like any post-whatever album a fade in intro to the first riff is almost essential, but the riff that enters literally drags you towards a riff where the track, Antifragile, really starts. It’s big and before you know it things have dropped down into quieter waters and begin to build. The rest of the album follows this schizophrenic pattern; you never know quite what is coming next, but when it does it is exactly what you expected, but you are surprised as you didn’t expect your expectations to be met!

The way these guys progress the music is brilliant and Partners is definitely one of those albums that you have to listen to a number of times before the tracks take on their own identity. Not because everything sounds the same, but because the whole thing works together so well. If I had to give you a few highlights then they have to be Standard Fog, Backcracker, and Bay of Pigs Memorial Dance; but that’s only as you asked, the hooks come thick and fast and by the time one’s gone another is on its way.

Even though the tracks are brilliantly formed, the melodies intriguing and the riffs driving, you get the feeling that this band is one to catch live. I’ve been assured that they are and I’ll be sharing a stage with them at the end of April so I’ll get to see. If you like your music heavy and technical with a whole lot of fun thrown in then you cannot fail to love Obe.

 

tags: alternative cinematic instrumental post-rock progressive riff rock United Kingdom

Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra – Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light On Everything

Nobody sounds quite like Thee Silver Mt Zion Memorial Orchestra. This is our Punk Rock, declares their 2003 album, and the aesthetics are there. This is protest music from a chamber band with passionate, but never romantic, scorn filled, angry, andever-hopeful lead and group vocals. Efrim’s vocals are the Marmite selling point; you either love them or you hate them. Once you’ve made that decision, and few people seem sold immediately, you are in for some of the most truthful and from the heart music out there.

The immediate comparison is to Godspeed You! Black Emperor. That is granted, being as most of the band also play in GY!BE, but the ease of comparison has been made more difficult with each subsequent release; Thee Silver Mt Zion have become their own beast.

‘Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light On Everything’ is Thee Silver Mt Zion’s seventh studio album. What struck me immediately was the overall heaviness of the tracks; the filthy fuzzed out guitars of Fuck Off Get Free (For The Island Of Montreal), the driving drums in Take Away These Early Grave Blues; contrasted with the lullaby qualities of Little Ones Run and the safely (for TSMZ anyway) played What We Loved Was Not Enough. It is because of this that the strongest tracks are at the beginning of the album and it loses its consistency by Little One Runs onwards. I still really enjoy the second half, but after the powerful first tracks I feel that they could (should?) be on a different release, most likely somewhere after Horses In The Sky and before KollapsTradixionales.

The first two tracks are some of the strongest tracks that the band has ever put out. Fuck Off Get Free (For The Island Of Montreal) is borderline metal in parts, with its utterly disgustingly fuzzy riff that the track subtly builds into. The track begins with drums and the instruments all come in fuzzed up to make a wonderfully dirty wall of shoegaze sounds. The vocals come in as some of the strongest Efrim has ever delivered. I’ve always enjoyed the lack of confidence underlying on his vocal tracks and I was initially disappointed by this change in delivery, but the track is all the better for the strong performance. The change into the heaviest riff TSMZ have ever given us was initially shocking, but very powerful and really paves the way for the rest of the track which is played out to a technique that TSMZ excel in; group vocals. The vocal hook follows the music’s melody and creates a massive sound. An “order out of chaos” moment, if you will.

Austerity Blues is the longest track on the album and the live tracked acoustic chords that subtly move out of time give it an essence of being played around a campfire during the night in a protest camp. Fuzz begins to envelop the track and it builds and builds very slowly and musically becomes rather triumphant and as the vocals, “Lord let my son live long enough to see the mountain torn down”, are brought in a shiver runs down my spine. It’s a very strong moment and from there the track is dismantled down into disjointed instruments playing alongside each other rather than with each other. A little bit like an orchestra as they tune up before a performance, but this is after the performance and plays on the uncertainty and hope displayed in the lyrics.

Take Away These Early Grave Blues is urgent and anxious. The violins shred their way through the tracks and the vocals are blisteringly fast, almost struggling to keep up the pace. It is an exhausting track with a final, demanding, message. Love each other. Next to this track Little Ones Run is a short lullaby of piano and crooned group vocals. It is a changing point in the album, perfect to introduce What We loved Was Not Enough.

Still incorporating the fuzzed up instruments that have been prominent in the first half of the album, What We Loved Was Not Enough still feels like a slightly younger TSMZ. It loses out to the tracks before it mainly as it hasn’t got a stand out hook that pulls you in. This does not mean that it is a bad track; standing alone it would shine especially with the strong vocal performance with lead and backing.

The album finishes with Rains Thru The Roof At The Grand Ballroom. It is short, sweet, and angelic; but ends the album on a low point. The vocals, “Hold on”, are the unhopeful promise of change, and the album goes out without a bang.

Overall Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light On Everything is a welcome entry in TSMZ’s catalogue. It is not their strongest overall release, but includes some of their strongest material. I definitely recommend that you give it some of your time.

 

Click here to Purchase on Itunes

Roundtable Review: Mogwai – Rave Tapes

It’s the end the month which means it’s time for our second Roundtable Review of the year. This month we’re tackling a band who damn near is bordering on legendary post-rock status at this point. Needing no real introduction, this month we’re excited to examine Mogwai’s latest effort “Rave Tapes” , which saw a January 20th release via Rock Action Records (UK) and Sub Pop Records (US). With this being the 8th album in a career that has spanned nearly 20 years, our team took the album with a keen ear and anticipation for what these post-rock giants brought to the genre this time around.

We would love to hear your input and thoughts on ‘Rave Tapes’ so feel free to leave a comment and let us know if you loved it, hated it, or just didn’t care for the release in general.

“I got into Mogwai when a friend handed me a mix tape entitled, “Beginners Guide to Rock Action”. It was the only Mogwai compilation you could ever need and contained only the best tracks from their back catalogue all the way up to Happy Songs for Happy People. That compilation was a sound track to some great times and each one of those tracks was special to me.

I didn’t listen to an actual Mogwai album for some time. In fact it was 2006 when Mr Beast came out. From there I started to explore their back catalogue and found that Beginners Guide To Rock Action was the best of Mogwai and, despite some absolutely killer tracks across all these albums, I had already heard all that the band had to offer.

So I have always been cautious when Mogwai release a new album. I am always convinced that they will disappoint again and again. Not that they cannot write some incredible music, just that each album will, ultimately, be filled with filler tracks. So I was completely surprise when I played Rave Tapes and found their most complete album to date.

The whole thing fits together so well and each track stands on its own merits without standing too far out from the rest. Mogwai can be applauded that each new release brings a little something new to the mix, but never to the detriment of their sound. Rave Tapes is brooding; tracks are mid-tempo short journeys that, with each new listen, display the subtle nuances that show how incredible these guys are at composition.

I’ve heard people shrug this release off as, “too synthy”. Yes there is a lot of synth here, but each instrument has its place and there are still a ton of brilliant guitar melodies to write home about. Overall this album is so full of hooks that your head won’t know what you should be humming by the end of it and there are too many highlights to name them all. If you forced me to reel some off I’d instantly blurt out Remurdered, Deesh, and No Medicine For Regret; but you should really take in this album as a whole.

So the question is: Is this Mogwai’s best album? My answer is emphatically, yes! Simply because of the way it all fits together, unlike most of their previous work. It also has a handful of standout tracks that can stand alongside some of stunning tracks that are packed into their back catalogue.” – TenaciousListening

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“I’m not ashamed to admit that Mogwai’s style of post-rock has never really clicked with me. While I appreciate what they’ve done for the genre, I’ve largely skipped around the majority of their discography to a very select few songs that I do find interesting. To be perfectly honest up until now the only Mogwai release I enjoy front to back is their 2011 4-track EP ‘Earth Division’. With all that being said, I’m pleased to say that ‘Rave Tapes’ has absolutely won me over and is a marvelous album, easily my favorite work to date by the Glasgow rockers.

Everything about this album just free flows so flawlessly save for ‘Blues Hours’, which I feel should have been saved for a future EP. The keys, synths and elements of electronica shine brightly and are complimented with just the right amount of reverb and drone. Drums and beat patterns are infectiously intoxicating and the pacing really helps lament the mood. With each subsequent listen I find myself enjoying the album more and more due to the simplistic beauty of the whole package. There is never too much going on, everything feels spacious and meaningful.

The band isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel here and I’m sure a song like “Remurdered” will piss some post-rock purists off, but you know what, Fuck em! Mogwai has nothing left to prove do they? I love “Remurdered” to death, but then again this is coming from the same guy who’s most listened to release of 2014 is Crystal Method’s latest self titled album, it being my favorite album to work out in the gym to right now. There is a little something for everyone on ‘Rave Tapes’. I hope that this electronic heavy styling is a direction they decide to pursue going forward. This album gets a solid B+ in my book (no, we’re not doing letter grades on this site now).” – James

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“I wonder if Young Team was just a fluke. Mogwai has made some good songs since then — one, maybe two per album — but really, very little of their catalogue holds a candle to the greatness that was achieved on their debut. On ‘Rave Tapes’, most of the songs meander to nowhere, yet not for long enough for them to become hypnotic. “Remurdered” is fun, and “Blues Hour” is very endearing. The rest of the songs fail to leave any memorable imprint though, their hooks ranging from forgettable to tedious. I don’t think I’m a Mogwai hipster who only likes the old stuff because it’s old. Their sound was significantly different in 1997. And perhaps my favourite song of theirs is 2011’s “Drunk and Crazy”, so I’m hardly averse to the new. I just expect more from a group so acclaimed. I wish I had more to say about Rave Tapes, but to me it’s mostly an album of uninspired melodies and insipid beats.” – Shooter

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“When a band like Mogwai puts out a new album, the expectation is always higher. They are one of the big names, that rare post-rock band that you could almost say has made it. Made it to where is a completely different topic. But here we are with a new release from one of the biggest names in the post-rock scene.

This album is consistent, solid, and very forgettable if you aren’t paying attention. The only track that really stands out is Remurdered with it’s epic sounding 80’s vibe like a track off the Drive Soundtrack. Outside of that the tracks stay pretty calm and subdued. They don’t cater to crescendos, but Mogwai never really have. They’ve always been a band with solid songs doing their own thing. Rave Tapes is no different.

The album would be easy to toss aside after a listen because of how subtle it plays out. My biggest gripe is that each track feels like it should weave into the others, but they just don’t. The album feels like it has a loose theme that connects these tracks with a tiny thread. It takes time to appreciate this album, and I feel as though it could have used just a bit more tidying up. A track like Repelish should have been relocated to Bonus Track status, and it would have been nice to see these tracks meld a bit more. However, after a few listens this has become an album to listen to while fixated on other things. It plays well in the background, but doesn’t hold it’s own for sole focus. A solid release by Mogwai that needs just a bit more to stand on its feet.” –Bryan

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“Oh Mogwai, how you bring me such joy. Again and again, album after album, you just put a smile on my face. Rave Tapes is no exception. What I think people miss about this band is the inherent humor involved with them. One gets the feeling that the only thing Mogwai takes seriously is the music they make. They’re just taking the piss out of everything else. The music industry, artistic context, and even the post rock genre itself seem to be a good laugh.

From start to finish, Rave Tapes is a solid record. Its more synthy overall then other Mogwai offerings, sure, but not overdone. Written and arranged with the competence one would expect, the analogue sounds really blend nicely with the warm production here.

Listening to Mogwai evolve album-to-album is fascinating and rewarding. There’s always a slightly different slant to things. Sometimes it’s quite subtle. Sometimes you get the feeling it’s just for a lark.

Highlights like “Remurdered,” “Mastercard,” and “No Medicine For Regret” are joined by slightly off kilter beauties like “The Lord Is Out Of Control.” My personal top pick here is the beautiful and darkly hilarious “Repelish.”

After several listens I started to wonder if maybe this whole album was made as a post molly club night come down record. It’s certainly languid and gentle enough.

Mogwai have deservedly earned their notoriety and the respect they’re given in the post musical world. Hell, they’ve come just as close as third wave darlings like Explosions in the Sky at being crossover successes. Rave Tapes is another great chapter in the very long book of Mogwai’s pantheon of enjoyable albums. It’s not the most essential, but it certainly put a smile on my face.” – Erich

   

Click here to download Rave Tapes via Itunes

Click here to download Rave Tapes via Mogwai’s official online store

Degree of Arc – Halls In Hospitals

On occasion I will come across a release that just feels right, somehow. When I see an album the artwork tells me what I expect to hear when I press play. If, when I press that button, my thoughts are confirmed the album already has an unfair advantage towards winning me over (not that I see each new musical offering as a challenge!). Degree of Arc’s début album Halls in Hospitals is one of those releases.

Granted I already thought I knew what to expect after enjoying their début EP Circles, but on seeing that artwork depicting light streaming through into a darkened hospital corridor I settled on the idea that this was going to be a much darker offering. I was not proven wrong.

If you enjoy the offerings of bands such as Explosions in the Sky then you should like this. Or are you bored of the same old tremolo picked loud\quiet\crescendo style post-rock bands? Are you going to need a reason to check Degree of Arc out? Go on then…

The atmosphere created by this album is phenomenal.

There you are. Now go and have a listen!

Oh, you want a bit more? Think about being in hospital; think what it means. They are not often places of joy, although those moments do happen. Most visits to a hospital are visits we would rather avoid; dark points of our lives. Underneath that darkness though there is usually a layer of optimism fighting to break through and that is what Halls in Hospitals is; a dark album simmering underneath music full of hope.

Samples are a big thing for me. They are so easy to just slap on top of the music without a thought, but musicians that take time to place suitable samples in the right place are saviours of this much overused technique. Great Distances starts with a sample, I guess from a space program at some time in history, and it works beautifully. It does not matter that it is barely legible; it just sets the scene over tremolo picked guitar. Tremolo is a big part of Degree of Arc’s sound. Then again you could argue that for a lot of post-rock bands, but they just seem to do it right; creating layers of atmosphere to build the music on top of. The crescendo of this track is utterly uplifting; far from original, but completely moving.

The Space Between was the teaser track for this album and is more of a passage of music than a full track itself. Reversed guitar echoes from empty, lost, notes that are laid once again over reverb heavy ambience and drums are thumped, not aggressively, but hopefully.

Forward brings that feeling of hopeless optimism. Cleaner tremolo picked melodies are driven by marching drums; going nowhere, but pushing onwards earnestly. Then Degree of Arc’s great sense of spacial awareness returns with sparse melodies that slowly build.

Dark, empty drones blend with ambience as Death of a Cosmonaut begins. Probably the darkest moments of this album, you are lost in the cold grip of deathly silence. This is the highlight of the album as it drives on and on relentlessly until it breaks into a peaceful place trapped in-between rumbling instruments and pounding drums.

Wake is another passage of music, much like The Space Between. This time the atmosphere is lighter with a heavy focus on ping pong delay. To say it is the weakest part of the album would be unfair as it sounds great, but I would not miss it if it was not there

The Marcher is a great example of some of my favourite compositional elements; one that finds its way to a motif and then builds over that from the rest of the song.  It feels like there is lots of movement but at the same time it does not really go anywhere. Still it keeps your interest throughout and that is a skill I admire.

The album closes with A Day After It Started, more reverse guitar and droney notes and then another build into a massive crescendo. Before you can finish the album with a complete feeling of elation the tracks dying moments fade out with uncertainty. That lack of resolution leaves you wanting more. Press play again? Yes please.

Do not get me wrong; this release is cookie cutter post-rock. It is easy to listen to and the band knows exactly how to give you exactly what you expect as an avid listener of post rock. The reason you need to listen to this is because you want to be taken to places, you want to feel something, and you want to be exhausted once the final notes have played out. That is what Halls in Hospitals does to me. Experience it.

 

tags: alternative rock alternative ambient apocalypse cinematic degree of arc film music halls in hospitals instrumental noise post-rock rock uk post-rock UK