RECORD OF THE WEEK  

http://sleepmakeswaves.bandcamp.com/

Review To Follow

LIVE IN STUDIO PERFORMANCE BY MY EMPTY PHANTOM

RECORD OF THE WEEK  

http://www.meniscusmusic.com/

Meniscus’s lush ambient soundscapes, driving bass lines and poly-rhythmic beats create a unique musical experience that has been hypnotising Australian audiences since 2005.

The Sydney trio’s unique brand of instrumental post rock blends the moody dynamics of acts like Mogwai and Sigur Rós with the prog rock technicality of King Crimson.

The critical success of the band’s 2007 EP ‘Absence of I’ elevated Meniscus’s profile globally with rave reviews from The Silent Ballet (“Beautifully crafted and impeccably conceived….very good doesn’t quite sum this up, it’s amazing”) and Sputnik Music (“Meniscus have a wizardly sense of dynamics, songs flowing with the purity of water….technically brilliant and tightly composed”).

Despite this success, the departure of drummer and co-founder Duncan Wilson forced Meniscus into hiatus in 2008. In early 2009, founding members Daniel Oreskovic (guitar) and Alison Kerjean (bass) made a comeback to the live circuit with new drummer Cameron Brennan, showcasing new songs and arrangements. All the hard work that the band put into the comeback has resulted in this latest release called War Of Currents.

RECORD OF THE WEEK  

http://bewareofsafety.bandcamp.com/

http://www.mylenesheath.com/

Walking a thin line between post-metal and post-rock, Los Angeles-based instrumental project Beware of Safety comes crashing into the scene with their sophomore full-length,Leaves / Scars. Having recently uncovered the fairly recent band, I enjoyed discovering their heavy, progressive style established in their releases, sounding something like a crude mash of God is an Astronaut and North. The thing that really defines Beware of Safety is their lack of trepidation to make some noise and to show off their raw power, but at the same time, add their superb musicality and throw on a healthy dose of contrast, mixing blasts with mellow acoustic bridges.

The first tune off the album, “Meridian”, is a fantastic example of the potential of the band. Starting off with a heavily reverbed, fairly long bass jam, the drums and some soft, melodic minor chords from clean guitars begin to create a more sombre tone, with the rhythm pounding a well-supported, heartfelt beat. As things begin to pick up, a distorted guitar riffs, lending strength as everything starts to feel less anemic and more concentrated. About three minutes in, a smooth transition from a very minor-keyed bridge flows into some syncopated and very fuzzy riffage. Drums hitting harder, guitars strumming more powerfully, everything comes to a smooth fadeout as everything drops out and the clean guitars pick up, until a wall of sound comes wailing in and a melancholic, distorted post-rock-esque catharsis hits listeners hard as the song’s ending rushes up and everything comes to an immediate standstill.

The fifth song on the album, “Moorpark Ends”, shows a softer side of the band, with a simple acoustic melody, with very smooth, tender synths adding a soft layer of depressive moans and wails in the background. The song takes on after This Will Destroy You, with soft clean guitars adding here and there, with most of the rhythm in the acoustic guitar, melodic changes lying in the acoustic and the synths. As things progress a bit, the synths grow louder and the guitars become more distorted as a fade-in to a more vigorous and forcible verse, adding in drums, with ethereal distorted guitars strumming away, in a very Explosions in the Sky-like fashion. The song keeps its crestfallen demeanor, as the bass hits some deep, earnest chord changes, tugging at the heartstrings of the listener. The song ends just as it began, with all of the noise and chaos clearing away into a simple introspective melody, fading gently away.

This album was a really cool listen, in discovering a post-rock / post-metal band that isn’t afraid to delve into either and both categories in the same song. Beware of Safety doesn’t really push themselves towards any genre – they create what sounds good to them, and it ultimately sounds good to everyone else too. Leaves / Scars took off in a way different direction than I thought it would at the beginning of it, but that’s not a bad thing in any way. With a lot of warmth and gentleness in some parts, and animosity and power in other parts, Leaves / Scars may stand out as a much more memorable album this year than something like Take Care, Take Care, Take Care, simply because it’s so much more diversified and easy to connect to.

Above review courtesy of http://www.muzikdizcovery.com/2011/07/beware-of-safety-leaves-scars.html

RECORD OF THE WEEK  

http://www.sonicreverie.co.uk/post/7207888883/asummer

The debut full length album by Good Weather For An Airstrike is here, following a handful of well received EPs over the last few years Tom Honey has expanded his sound to create something more substantial and arguably more bold than his previous outings. Going against the grain of ambient and drone conventions, GWFAA’s album compresses soundscapes into smaller time frames, speeding up the slow moving fluctuations into stirring ever evolving movements which aren’t frustratingly slow. The record swings with ease from louder more abrasive drone associated with artists like Tim Hecker to far more delicate kaleidoscopic swells akin to Stars of the Lid whilst always maintaining a character entirely of its own.

RECORD OF THE WEEK  

http://theecheloneffect.bandcamp.com/

The Echelon Effect release the second part of a 4 part series. This release is Seasons 2/4.

The artist known as The Echelon Effect release’s this, the second part of a 4 part series to see the light of day in 2011 which culminates in a film to be released at the end of it all.

If you are unfamiliar with The Echelon Effect, the sound is ambient, post-rock, soundscape, atmospheric.

Please go support The Echelon Effect, this album is available from his Bandcamp site for a name your price type deal. Although anything you can contribute will assist in further production.

RECORD OF THE WEEK  

http://www.labirinto.mus.br/2011/

To celebrate Labirinto touring the USA for the first time, I thought it would be fitting for their 2010 release, Anatema, to be the Fade To Yellow record of the week.

From São Paulo city, the group was formed in 2003 by the desire and experience of friends whom aimed to work out their musical influences through the composition of instrumental music. Inspired by feature movie scores, experimental music bands & sounds and references that go beyond music itself – like arts, photography and literature -, the compositions look in to create textures and images based vibes: as in a sound track, but casting the listener to come up with the picture and scenario on his own mind.

Labirinto develops sounds, timbres and dynamics that are all equally blended, avoiding the predominance of a unique sound source. Their harmonics constructions – done by guitars, bass and drums, followed by analogic and digital synths, cello, violin, piano e other instruments – prioritize the emotions aroused by running through the whole aesthetic labyrinth.

Labirinto is acknowledged as a pioneer in developing its musical style in Brazil. Their references are based on post-rock, progressive rock, experimentalism, minimalism, classical and Brazilian popular music. After some years of career consolidation, the band is one of the most respected and renowned in the indie scene, getting good reviews from the public and the press.

RECORD OF THE WEEK  

http://www.moonlitsailor.com/

 To sum it up succinctly, Colors In Stereo is huge. It’s like the thunderous boom of 1,000 armies marching in lockstep. Already receiving well-deserved critical acclaim for creating an entirely new dimension to the post-rock genre, these four Swedes have done it yet again with a truly unique album. Firmly entrenched in their quasi-pop / post-rock roots but adding space-rock elements to their already massive soundscapes, MOONLIT SAILOR has created a blueprint for the future of post-rock. Everything on Colors In Stereo is special: from the sounds you’ve never heard before, to the arpeggios that swallow you whole, to the powerful crescendos that devastate your senses. If you don’t find it difficult to listen without being overwhelmed with emotion, you’re not listening. “This album means a lot. When we wrote these songs, we knew that people were going to hear them and we didn’t want to disappoint anyone, especially ourselves. It feels like we’ve taken big steps forward as composers and we hope people hear that in the songs. Everything about who we are we put into the music of Colors in Stereo. As for the title, it reminds us of the future…very positive and joyful. You can really feel the colors float through your inner mind and leave you purified. We wanted to make an positive post rock album” says says bass guitarist Markus Rundlšf. This is the new standard. It’s that good.

RECORD OF THE WEEK  

http://www.esmerine.com/

Esmerine was co-founded ten years ago by percussionist Bruce Cawdron (Godpseed You! Black Emperor) and cellist Rebecca Foon (Thee Silver Mt. Zion, Mile-End Ladies’ String Auxiliary) soon after the two met while recording the first Set Fire To Flames record Signs Reign Rebuilder (2001) at the old brothel at 10 rue Ontario Est in Montreal.

RECORD OF THE WEEK  

http://noveller.bandcamp.com/album/glacial-glow

Sarah Lipstate is Noveller and Glacial Glow is her most assured, accomplished statement to date. Lipstate largely sheds the distortion and feedback present in much of her earlier work. Instead, she relies on instantly memorable melodies, a wider sonic palette, and excellent pacing to deliver arguably her best album.

Noveller announces her intentions from the opening track, appropriately titled “Entering”, as the syncopated rhythm of the melody represents a new twist from her previous guitar work. This is only the hors d’oeuvre for the stunning “Glacial Wave”, which drifts along serenely until Lipstate rains down gorgeous arpeggios like icy shards from the heavens. Other pieces feature sparse arrangements anchored by pulsing throbs which evoke a subtle, creeping anxiety more menacing than the feel-good retro-horror soundtracks making the rounds these days.

Throughout Glacial Glow, Lipstate exercises restraint and a fleeting melancholy feeling pervades the album. It says something about an album’s quality when the closing track, “Ends”, is chosen as the lead-off video. Ocean sounds combine with the lovely chord progression and guitar lines to create an uplifting, yet slightly wistful feeling and a perfect bookend to the record.

RECORD OF THE WEEK  

http://hawkmoonrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hunang-skr-msli

Damn Robot! – Hunang Skrímsli is the debut album by Hampshire, UK based brothers Rob Honey (Oceanus, Inachus) and Tom Honey (Good Weather for an Airstrike). Having collaborated on a cover of Frederic Chopin’s Romance/Larghetto the duo decided to establish a more permanent project, and Damn Robot! was formed. Their first song “The Great Landfill In The Sky” was included on the well received Hawk Moon Records: Volume II compilation album along side the likes of The Echelon Effect, …And The Earth Swarmed With Them and Lowercase Noises. Damn Robot! have taken influence from many different artists including The Appleseed Cast, Clint Mansell, Imogen Heap and various Mike Patton projects, as such this album doesn’t stick to just one specific genre, it has elements of electronica, trip-hop, post-rock, ambient and more.

With gigs planned for summer 2011, this could be the start of something big for Damn Robot!