The Post-Rock Thread

[onebloodonelife]

Thanks, hon. I'll look for that today.

No problem, I'm glad I saw your posts before you left this morning.

The one they had, so the one I got, was The Destruction of Small Ideas.

Have you had a chance to listen to it yet?

 

[martha]

Have you had a chance to listen to it yet?

No. I just got home a few hours ago. It probably will be a while.

 

[u2popmofo]

For some reason I've just never become well acquainted with that one. Every time I listen to it I think it's great, I just usually listen to the other two.

Don't Go Down to Sorrow is great, as is The Distant & Mechanised Glow Of Eastern European Dance Parties.

I'll have to make sure to listen to that album this week so we can discuss further.

 

[Jack In The Box]

if you people like 65dos check From Monument To Masses

they have a new record named: "Beyond God & Elvis"

amazing stuff

also you should check (all 2008 releases):

-WakeThisDay - "Gaze Into the Beyond", a new band with a EITS sound
-We're From Japan - "Now Breathe", not so new band, but interesting, I think is their second LP
-Cantaloup - "On A Hill Not Far Away", new band with a shoegaze vibe
-Calder - "Lower", very dark and heavy, but not post-metal
-Akira Kosemura - "Tiny Musical", bright ambient post-rock
-Cult of Luna - "Eternal Kingdom", c'mon, it's Cult of Luna! a must have
-UpCDownCLeftCDownCABC+Start - "Embers", another must have, more consistent than "...And The Battle is Won"... and I love "...And The Battle is Won"
-Moose Eats Leafs - "Adrift", interesting debut of a promising project
-La Verite - "The Divine Desolate City", epic post-rock with samples and such
-Canyonsofstatic - "The Disappearance", if I'm not wrong, it's their debut LP, they have an EP (or two), they take their name off a GY!BE song, so... you guess
-Blindead - "Autoscopia/Murder in Phazes", drone, post-rock and of course post-metal, but with black metal vocals
-Jardin de la Croix - "Pomeroy", post-rock/math-rock
-Isis - "Holy Tears and Not In Rivers but in Drops", I'm not a huge Isis fan, but I actually liked this new album
-Hermelin - "Hermelin", I think they're german, nice post-rock with a classic sound, not experimental or so
-Hoping to Collide With - "Hoping to Collide With EP", debut EP, they're promising, epic guitars and so
-Grails - "Doomsdayer's Holiday", Grails!... GRAILS!, every album they sound more like Pink Floyd, listen to the amazing "Acid Rain"
-Grayceron - "This Grand Snow", I like the music, not so sure about the vocals
-Elder - "Elder EP", another self-titled debut EP, post-rock with screamo, very in the Envy/L'Homme Puma/all-that-bands line
-Jesu - "Why Are We Not Perfect", probably my favorite Jesu album
-Johann Johannsson - "Fordlandia", beautiful, calm, warm, amazing ambient
-Les Fragments de la Nuit - "Musique Du Crépuscule", more in the dark ambient side, still very post-rocky
-Pelican - "After the Ceiling Cracked", much better than the last one... I hated "City of Echoes"
-Sumner McKane - "What A Great Place to Be", and what a great record to listen to, ambient with acoustic sounds
-Aerial - "The Legion of Dinamic Dischord EP", well, Aerial is guarantee
-Andrei Machado - "Lacuna", neo-classical music from Brazil
-Arcadhianonstabian - "El paraiso no está bien EP", I don't have words for this mexican band, probably just: mind-blowing
-Balmorhea - "River Arms", must have, must have!
-Because of Ghosts - "The Culture of Background Noise", fantastic new album from this more or less well-known band (I mean, in the little post-rock world)
-Ben Woods - "A Collection of Thoughts", freaking awesome neo-classical piano music
-Bosques de mi Mente - "Ruido Blanco", more neo-classical, now from Spain
-Don Caballero - "Punkgasm", pure, brutal math-rock (musical cousin of post-rock)
-Expedición a las Estrellas - "72 EP", another mexican band that surprised me, expect screamo vocals
-Exxasens - "Polaris", probably post-rock debut of the year
-Final Days Society - "Noise Passes Silence Remains", epic post-rock, despite of the name, they sound very bright
-Giants - "Old Stories", it's Giants, so... it's great even without actually listening to the album, lol
-Glowworm - "The Coachlight Woods", warm post-rock with ambient
-Her Name is Calla - "The Heritage", experimental post-rock, sometimes too dark if you're not very into this kind of music
-Kaneda - "Monarchs and Heretics", great debut (I think it's their debut), not so experimental, but with a solid sound
-Laura - "Yes Maybe Not", it's Laura... so go and listen to it!
-L'Elan Vital - "The Wink and the Gun", post-rock with shoegazing vocals
-Matthew Robert Cooper - "Miniatures", just one word: well, it's not a word but it's my feeling about this album
-Meniscus - "Absence of I EP", great post-metal new band, still accessible for every ear
-Mogwai - "Batcat EP" & "The Hawk is Howling", well... you know... I just have to say that "Stupid Prick Chased by the Police and Loses His Slut Girlfriend" (from the EP) is one of the greatest Mogwai songs, and "Batcat" it's an anthem
-Mouth of the Architect - "Quietly", probably best MOTA release to date
-Mutyumu - "Il y a", interesting japanese band that mixes post-rock with opera and a lot of other genres
-Organic Stereo - "The Stories Linger in My Mind", ambient... not one of my favorite releases this year but still worth a listen
-Ovum - "Microcosmo EP", debut EP of this spanish band, with a great future I hope
-Pg.Lost - "It's not me, it's you!", pfff... Pg.Lost is evolving and I like that, great, great first LP, with some remastered songs from their previous EP
-Sigur Rós - "Með suð � eyrum við spilum endalaust", what can I say... maybe just that "Gobledigook" is Animal Collective meets Sigur Rós
-Suffocate fot Fuck Sake - "Blazing Fires and Helicopters on the Front Page of the Newspaper", very dark, still very post-rocky
-The American Dollar - "A Memory Stream", probably my favorite post-rock album of this year
-The Evpatoria Report - "Maar", the long awaited second LP from these swiss guys, they didn't disappoint
-Toundra - "Toundra", apocalyptic post-metal
-Year of No Light - "Nord", more visions of the end of the world
-Lite - "Phantasia", amazing math-rock from Japan
-Сны Моего Неба - "СНЫМОЕГОНЕБА", double album of this risky russian project, great music, amazing atmosphere
-A Silver Mt. Zion - "13 Blues for Thirteen Moons", don't expect something friendly, but they are the masters! THE MASTERS!!! *insert hysterical laugh*
-And So I Watch You From Afar - "Tonight The City Burns EP", very fast, experimental, interesting, love these guys
-EF - "I Am Responsible", I love EF, they're amazing, and their post-rock sounds original
-Gregor Samsa - "Rest", dreamy post-rock/shoegaze
-M83 - "Saturday's=Youth", not sure if this is post-rock but all the post-rock pages talk about them, so I include this amazing album
-Maybeshewill - "Not For Want of Trying", another band that takes influence from 65dos, and they have a song called "The Paris Hilton Sex Tape", lol
-Ólafur Arnalds - "Variatons of Static EP", this guy is just great, so sad and beautiful
-Russian Circles - "Station", you know very well these Chicago natives
-The Helio Sequence - "Keep Your Ahead", more indie-rock, shoegaze and such, still with a post-rock vein

and 3 interesting splits:

Port-Royal/Absent Without Leave - "Magnitogorak", amazing ambient
Thursday/Envy - "Split", post-rock and emo in the same place, emo isn't that bad
Envy/Jesu - "Split", screamo, post-rock, post-metal and even ambient

appreciate my effort!

all albums I have listened to this year, still I haven't listened to a lot of other releases, I'm working on that

 

[phanan]

So out of all those that you list, which titles would currently make up your top ten?

So far from that list, I have listened to:

Russian Circles - Station
The Evpatoria Report - Maar
Sigur Rós - Með suð � eyrum við spilum endalaust
Mogwai - The Hawk Is Howling
Jesu - Why Are We Not Perfect
Laura - Yes Maybe Not
Maybeshewill - Not For Want Of Trying

Also M83 but I don't consider them post-rock.

 

[u2popmofo]

Isn't that Pelican release just a live album? Also, didn't it come out last year? I actually loved City of Echoes.

To be honest, I can't be bothered to even look into a lot of other post-rock bands than the core groups I already like. I spent a good amount of time the last year or two looking around, and for the most part the vast majority just remind me of a watered down Mogwai.

 

[martha]

Isn't that Pelican release just a live album?

I thought it was just a dvd, but if it's a cd, then point me in the direction of Albuquerque.

 

[Jack In The Box]

So out of all those that you list, which titles would currently make up your top ten?

it's hard... probably:

The American Dollar
A Silver Mt. Zion
Ben Woods
Matthew Robert Cooper
The Evpatoria Report
Giants
Maybeshewill
From Monument to Masses
Ólafur Arnalds
Exxasens

 

[phanan]

Thanks

I'll check out the others that I haven't heard yet.

 

[u2popmofo]

Another added thought, it's interesting to see so many shoegaze groups beginning to get lumped in with post-rock (not just here, but all over it seems).

 

[Jack In The Box]

shoegaze it's like a musical uncle? cousin? brother?! of post-rock, I think, both have similarities, also a lot different things

talking about discovering new bands, here a compilation of neo-classical ambient post-rock whatever:

Ash Cities: Desesperanza

 

[powerhour24]

Post-rock isn't a fully defined genre of music, its widely used and widely disliked by many of the artist who are labeled it. That said I use the term as well, I think younger bands have embraced it, those that started after the term came around to wide use, but earlier bands like Mogwai dislike it, although in their case its a pigeon-hole as they're much more cross-genre and experimental than others out there.

And Jack in the Box, I appreciate your effort and I'm interested in checking some of those out, although that's an awful lot of material along with an awful lot of other 2008 material, and plenty of old material still on my listening list.

 

[u2popmofo]

Slint's 'Good Morning, Captain' is a fantastic Halloweenish song.


"Let me in," the voice cried softly
From outside the wooden door
Scattered remnants of the ship could be seen in the distance
Blood stained the icy wall of the shore

"I'm the only one left. The storm took them all,"
He managed as he tried to stand
The tears ran down his face
"Please, it's cold."

When he woke, there was no trace of the ship
Only the dawn was left behind by the storm
He felt the creaking of the stairs beneath him
That rose, from the sea, to the door

There was a sound at the window then
The captain started, his breath was still
Slowly, he turned

From behind the edge of the windowsill
There appeared the delicate hand of a child
His face was flush and timid
He stared at the captain through frightened eyes

The captain reached for something to hold on to
"Help me," he whispered, as he rose slowly to his feet
The boy's face went pale
He recognized the sound

Silently, he pulled down the shade against the shadow
Lost in the doorstep of the empty house

"I'm trying to find my way home.
I'm sorry . . .
And I miss you

I miss you
I've grown taller now
I want the police to be notified
I'll make it up to you
I swear, I'll make it up to you

I miss you."

 

[Jack In The Box]

Slint is fantastic music

period

 

[u2popmofo]

Agreed!

I edited and added the song lyrics in the previous post.

 

[u2popmofo]

I love how 'Good Mourning, Captain' is name dropped in Pinback's AFK:

And I miss you
Not in a Slint way,
But I miss you

 

[Jack In The Box]

lol, I haven't heard that Pinback song

 

[rushu2]

So out of all those that you list, which titles would currently make up your top ten?

So far from that list, I have listened to:

Russian Circles - Station
The Evpatoria Report - Maar
Sigur Rós - Með suð � eyrum við spilum endalaust
Mogwai - The Hawk Is Howling
Jesu - Why Are We Not Perfect
Laura - Yes Maybe Not
Maybeshewill - Not For Want Of Trying

Also M83 but I don't consider them post-rock.

Russian Circles - "Station"

 

[onebloodonelife]

A heads-up to God is an Astronaut fans: their new album (self-titled) is due on 11/7, and it has leaked.

The artwork:

Myspace blog post about the album: Myspace.com Blogs - Thanks Athens!/New Album - God Is An Astronaut MySpace Blog

 

[phanan]

There ya go.

I like this artwork, too. Can't wait to listen.

The CD itself, while not available everywhere until January, will be available online next week.

 

[Jack In The Box]

Can't wait for this release!, with the indefinite hiatus of GY!BE, God is an Astronaut is one of the post-rock band that excite me more

 

[martha]

Have you had a chance to listen to it yet?

I listened to it in the way down to see the Secret Machines Saturday night. I liked it, but it was a bit more pianoey than I expected. I'm definitely interested in more.

 

[u2popmofo]

From Destruction, my favorites are probably:

Don't Go Down to Sorrow
The Distant and Mechanized Glow of Eastern European Parties
Little Victories

I think you'd like their other two albums a bit more, Martha. I know I do...

 

[onebloodonelife]

There ya go.

I like this artwork, too. Can't wait to listen.

I really love this cover, although I kind of wish their logo wasn't smack in the middle of the artwork.

 

[martha]

I think you'd like their other two albums a bit more, Martha. I know I do...

More cds to buy!

 

[onebloodonelife]

More cds to buy!

 

[powerhour24]

11/7? Isn't that friday? Wow, I guess I was behind the times I thought I heard their new album was coming in early 2009, but now that there's a leak I'm quite excited. I was listening to Far From Refuge a lot this weekend.

 

[onebloodonelife]

11/7? Isn't that friday? Wow, I guess I was behind the times I thought I heard their new album was coming in early 2009, but now that there's a leak I'm quite excited. I was listening to Far From Refuge a lot this weekend.

Yep, it came up really quickly. But 11/7 is only an online release. It won't go into stores until January. I think they just announced the release date being moved up in October, so it was fairly recent.

 

[powerhour24]

OK, I didn't think I was living under a rock haha. Well I'll be waiting for a physical release, but I'll cave and listen to it soon.

 

[phanan]

I'll be purchasing the physical CD from them online.

And I'm not someone who usually tells people what to buy, but if there is one band that needs the support, it's this one. Just reading about how broke they are should be enough to convince people. I'd hate to see them not be able to do this anymore because they couldn't afford it.