DOWNLOAD: If These Trees Could Talk - Barren Lands of a Modern Dinosaur
If These Trees Could Talk, an instrumental post-rock group hailing from Akron, OH, will release its second album, Red Forest, on March 20 via Science Of Silence Records. “Barren Lands of a Modern Dinosaur” is a compelling first listen from the record. The sprawling track is moody and expansive – a pensive soundscape that recalls similarly-toned groups like Mogwai and Explosions In the Sky.
DOWNLOAD: Dirty Three - Rising Below
After seven years of dormancy (aka its members collaborating with major names like Nick Cave, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Bill Callahan and Cat Power), Dirty Three is finally back with a new full-length entitled Toward The Low Sun on Drag City. "Rising Below" is the first taste, and it's a pastoral mixture of free violin, chunky guitar and Jim White's signature drums filled with breeze and heavy-handed attacks in equal spurts. Hear more post-rock awesomeness February 28.
DOWNLOAD: Young Man - Then & Now (Alternate Take)
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(Photo: Clayton Hauck)
When we first checked-in with Young Man (aka Colin Caulfield) on the track "Nothing," he was firmly in catchy bedroom territory – a threat, but one that had yet to expand. He also promised two more LPs over the next 18 months via Frenchkiss, and this alternate take of "Then & Now" from Ideas Of Distance shows just what can go down when Caulfield stretches out with a band. Produced by post-rock deity John McEntire, this version has a languid minor-key jangle going on over howling leads and big crescendos. Look for the next Young Man LP in March 2012.
PREMIERE: The Nocturnes - Love
Theirs is not a tender love. It is moody and elegant, full of delicate duel-vocal harmonies and a driving, sinister bass, but LA’s The Nocturnes aren’t trying to wine and dine you. Emma Ruth Rundle, current guitarist of instrumental powerhouse Red Sparowes, began her musical career in this duo, which has graduated to a quartet for its sophomore release. “Love” is folkgaze at its core, toying with goth and post-rock elements as it climbs its way through a somber crescendo. Check out Aokigahara August 30 on Errant Child.
DOWNLOAD: Trans Am - Futureworld
Within music culture, it seems like the future has sounded like the original Tron soundtrack since before science fiction movies even gained popularity. Trans Am, one of the best '90s post-rock bands, always took a different route. Using driving Krautrock-oriented drums, robotic vocals and a sense of dynamics that are more punk than club-ready, "Futureworld" remains a hypnotic ode to the way we hope things sound 40 years from now. Originally released in 1999, Thrill Jockey is re-releasing Futureworld in celebration of its 20th anniversary on September 13 with a new mastering job and two digital bonus tracks, including an outtake mixed by James Murphy.
PREMIERE: Early & Often - No Fiction
So this is what it would sound like all those times I’m listening to Explosions In The Sky and think to myself I could do with some vocals. Not to sell Early & Often short, as the Sacramento foursome definitely lets-in a slightly emo underbelly absent from standard post-rock that gives “No Fiction” a nice little kick. It's dramatic in the fashion of any instrument-heavy track doing its job, and Jeffrey Wright’s control of his vocals keeps them a crucial part of the build-up. The band’s latest EP, Present No Fiction, Fear No Tense, is out on Sell The Heart.
PREMIERE: Pele - Nude Beach. Pin Hole Camera?
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I've always liked when deserving albums get a second 15 minutes, and today sees The Nudes take its rightful place. The post-rock pillar from 2000 features Milwaukee trio Pele at its height, using tight instrumentation and a sense of playfulness to craft a record wanting nothing by way of vocals. "Nude Beach. Pin Hole Camera?" is a prime example, stick work on the drums carrying a tune that winds its way from wake-up song to pensive melody. Grab the reissue courtesy of Polyvinyl.
Pele - Nude Beach. Pin Hole Camera?
DOWNLOAD: Sainthood Reps - Monoculture
Boy grows up in a suburb listening to local punk bands and picks up his own instrument. Boy makes demos and brings these to his usual partner in crime. The two realize they're onto something and find two more. So goes the story of Long Island's Sainthood Reps (and perhaps East Coast music culture in general), except in this case they happen to share guitarist Derrick Sherman with the not-so-obscure Brand New. This music finds little crossover appeal, however, as the band sticks to a tight, '90s-influenced post-rock sound. "Monoculture," the title track from the group's upcoming LP, features a pointed distortion that ends up the driving force of its songs. Grab the record August 9 on Tooth & Nail.
