Playing cinematic post-rock can be a slippery slope to navigate, but on their first full-length, Firmament, the Releigh, NC trio Gray Young manages to escape much of what plagues the generally overwrought genre. Instead of going for the grandeur that many of their peers aim for and fail to attain, Gray Young does the unthinkable, they play it fairly simple and straightforward. Some songs are of the plinky atmospheric variety (a la Explosions In The Sky) while a good number of them are heavier and more rockin’ guitar-oriented songs. I should also mention that even though about half the songs on Firmament are instrumental, the vocals on the remainder are generally understated, atmospheric and not a focal point. Overall, it’s a dynamic album that plays like a collection of little short vignettes. This is movie music. It’s somewhere between Explosions In The Sky, Bloc Party, and Elliott and it’s pretty awesome.

MP3 | Gray Young – Provenance Firmament
MP3 | Gray Young – Convoy Firmament