Can You See the Sunset? » post rock

Helen Earth Band – Our Own Ghost City

Eric — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 03:57:58 +0000

Helen Earth Band is from San Diego and (although they aren’t quite as abrasive as some of their peers and predecessors) they do have more than a little of that city’s angular and mathy post-hardcore sound. The 13 songs on Our Own Ghost City are full of complex rhythms, interlocking guitar lines, and pleasantly melodic vocals, but (really) it’s much more than that. The band features (most notably) a former member of the band Finch, but who cares, right? Right. To say I was pleasantly surprised when I first heard Our Own Ghost City would be a major understatement. Just imagine a sort of hybrid that combines the structures and algebraic grooves of older Minus The Bear (without adding any of the metallic overtones) with the smooth and easy melodies of Jimmy Eat World and the tight rhythmic backbeat of Pinback. I don’t think I’m stretching one bit making those comparisons. The band shows a ton of potential here and despite the record’s energy, everything is measured and controlled. I’d like to hear ‘em come unhinged just a little bit but (still) Helen Earth Band has got a pretty good thing going here. (Just a side note, I think this album was actually released in late 2009, but I don’t really fucking care. I’m counting it for 2010).

MP3:
Helen Earth Band - Shakencutt
Helen Earth Band - (We All) Talk With Knives

Minus The Bear – OMNI

Eric — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 03:04:08 +0000

Another album that has sorta turned into the summer (slow) jam of the year is Minus The Bear’s latest, OMNI. This band never ceases to amaze me with the way they weave whatever it is they do. Some history should include that my wife and I both love the band’s 2005 album Menos el Oso, and I love their 2007 album Planet Of Ice more than she does, mainly because she’s not quite as fond of the near-metal guitar histrionics found on that album. Anyhow, back to OMNI… it’s, well, different. It’s a lot different from those past releases.

Yes, this is still Minus The Bear, but with OMNI they’re aiming for more than just to be kings of the indie prog-rock heap. As in the past, the Minus The Bear’s sound is incomparably cool with grooves that you can shake to all night long, but they’ve reduced the complexity and gone “lowest common denominator” on us all. I’m not saying that there aren’t moments where this sounds like the “old” Minus The Bear, but they’re obviously aiming for something different here. A good majority of the guitars have been replaced by synths that sound as if they were stolen straight out of the 1980’s and instead of hitting the listener with walls of atmospheric sound, these songs have (almost) been stripped down to their bare essentials.

It just be the slick production, but Minus The Bear (almost) comes across as a math-rock sorta version of Maroon 5. Jake Snider’s unexcitable (but silky smooth) vocal delivery is just the icing on the cake. OMNI is funky, moody, and full of sexy slithering grooves but (this time around) it all has a much more distinctly pop orientation. I dunno, maybe these guys took a trip in the hot tub time machine? Whatever the case, OMNI is an album that’s a bold leap for the band, and one that I (like many longtime fans) probably should be complaining about, but even with the guitar effects, the chintzy synths, and the pseudo-sexual posturing, this is so tight and well-played, I can’t help but love it.

MP3:
Minus The Bear - My Time
Minus The Bear - Secret Country

If you are looking for fast success in testking 642-165 exam then join today to explore complete 642-467 resources and pass ccie voice certifications on first try. A person can chose 642-902 dumps & 642-611 exam for his easiness.

Sleep Bellum Sonno – Judge Us By How We Lived Our Lives, Not By How We Made Our Living

Eric — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 02:39:07 +0000

Sleep Bellum Sonno is from Long Island and their sophomore album, Judge Us By How We Lived Our Lives, Not By How We Made Our Living, is a complex and ambitious collection of songs that is as well executed as it is carefully composed. As far as concept albums go, this one is a doozy. Judge Us… “tells the tale of twelve characters who all intertwine into one larger story of a husband/father leaving his wife and two sons behind,” but I would never have realized that on my own. I’m more drawn to the music itself which is an epic offshoot of the post-rock/post-hardcore genre. The two vocalists in Sleep Bellum Sonno could not sound more different and their contrasting styles (one with a thinly sung vocals and the other with piercing screams) actually work quite well together and give Judge Us… an unsettling and unconventional (but balanced) feel. With the drawn-out loud/quiet dynamics Sleep Bellum Sonno employs here, I might even say there’s some similarity to a non-screamo version of Pianos Become The Teeth (if there was such a thing). Additionally, knowing the band recorded the album live and listening to how the songs unfold and how the instruments interact, it is easily apparent that these guys are really talented musicians. All in all, Judge Us… is an impressive (even if challenging) album that is worth your while.

MP3:
Sleep Bellum Sonno - Gambler
Sleep Bellum Sonno - Bartender

Pianos Become The Teeth – Old Pride

Eric — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 03:51:51 +0000

On Old Pride Baltimore, Maryland’s Pianos Become The Teeth puts an interesting and refreshing spin on screamo by fleshing out their chaotic bursts and screamed vocals with atmospheric post-rock and what could almost be called straightforward hardcore (or at least post-hardcore) with moments that even remind me of what you might hear on early 90’s Touch & Go releases. These eight songs are technical but the guitars always remain on the mathy and emo side of the equation rather than crossing over into the world of metal. With music like this there’s always the chance that it could all end up being too dense, but on Old Price the band proves they actually know when to hold back and give their songs room to breathe. Now, I really dislike the band Thursday and (thus) won’t compare Pianos Become The Teeth to them as others have done. Instead, I hear the instrumental prowess and soaring grandeur of (say) Explosions In The Sky tempered and bombarded with the abrasive-yet-melodic bombast of That Within Blood Ill-Tempered-era Shai Hulud. It works tremendously well and makes me wonder why more groups don’t employ this loud/quiet and chaotic/atmospheric dynamic. Have a listen.

MP3:
Pianos Become The Teeth - Filial

We provide fast success in testking 70-686 exam by using our high quality 350-050 prep resources. We offer up-to-dated mcdst & ccna training with definite guarantee of 000-977 exam success.

The Mercury Program – Chez Viking

Eric — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:04:45 +0000

I saw The Mercury Program at the Fireside Bowl years ago with The Firebird Band and swiftly grabbed a hold of almost their entire discography to that point, and then… nothing. A whole lot of nothing coming from the band. So just imagine my surprise when I found out the Gainesville, FL band just released their first new material in almost seven years in the form of a new album, Chez Viking. I’m happy to report that Chez Viking picks up exactly where the band left off years ago. Their instrumental post-rock is still a bit jazzy and still anchored around subtly changing repetitive melodic motifs. The drumming is top-notch and lock step with the grooving basslines and delay-heavy guitars. It is (however) still the vibraphone and Rhodes piano that adds a warmth and a tranquil tonality to Chez Viking and puts it over the top. Listening to The Mercury Program is like the musical equivalent of watching snow falling against a dark sky; like a shimmering sparkling meteor shower echoing and refracting through layers of rhythmic frozen rainfall. Seriously, this is as good as anything the band has ever done (my personal fave before this is All The Suits Began To Fall Off) and was recently made available by Lovitt Records.

MP3:
The Mercury Program - Arrived/Departed

Early Day Miners – The Treatment

Eric — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:45:33 +0000

On their sixth-full length, The Treatment, Indiana’s Early Day Miners have somewhat changed directions without really changing at all. There are still the repetitive and atmospheric elements of the band’s sound full intact, but there’s much more melody here than I expected. Despite the bands new found focus on a poppier sound, Early Day Miners still manage to create sweeping shimmering songs that (before you know it) are pulling you deeper in as they did on records like Offshore. It’s as if the band is channeling their inner New Order on one side and Peter Gabriel on the other and filtering it through a Psychocandy-esqe haze as guitars and organs are layered in waves of melody. It’s a beautiful album that you could either dance to (albeit slowly) or just fall asleep to. Early Day Miners have, with The Treatment, made their finest album yet and one of the finest of 2009. It’s out now on the always consistently great Secretly Canadian label.

MP3:
Early Day Miners - So Slowly

Castevet – Summer Fences

Eric — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 14:27:19 +0000

Castevet is a group from Chicago that I’d never heard of until Will from Beartrap sent me their album a few months ago and (now) I regret not spinning this one sooner. Summer Fences is a strange (but awesome) combination of gruff shouty vocals and twinkly atmospheric post-rock guitars that are held together by a highly competent rhythm section. If asked to pigeonhole this into a specific (and I’ll get very specific) genre, I’d say that you should file Summer Fences under “beardy vintage post-emo rock.” HA! It’s always a good thing when I can make myself laugh at my own words. My wife (and others) often say that I’m the only one who laughs at my jokes anyways. So, yeah, if you’d like a band that sounds a bit like a cross between Latterman, American Football and Explosions In The Sky, you should definitely check Castevet out. No, seriously, this record is pretty fucking amazing. Totally unexpected but so good! Summer Fences is available from our fine friends at Count Your Lucky Stars.

MP3:
Castevet - Beating High Schoolers At Arcade Games

Gray Young – Firmament

Eric — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 22:54:38 +0000

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