Built on a Weak Spot

It really is a shame that a band like UK’s Snowblood can go relatively unnoticed during their run while other critically praised bands that operate within the same area musically continue to do so, however less effectively. I was introduced to the band when their second album Being and Becoming was released in 2005 and it was a massive listen of sludgy doom ridden tunes that grabbed my attention from the start. I have never been a big fan of that sort of thing over the years, however when done right it forces you to take notice and that’s part of the beauty of what Snowblood managed to accomplish while remaining in the shadows of so many others sadly. Their music can definitely be considered exhausting to sit down and listen to fully in one sitting, much like I felt when I first heard the debut Jesu LP. Except the thing I appreciate about Snowblood, other than the music itself, is that the band didn’t shy away from that approach as they progressed. They still insist upon creating the type of slow and successive punch that grinds and toils until it hits the payoff, and the payoff almost always proves to be worth it. Here on their third and final album the band is undoubtedly at peak form and at their most challenging with four lengthy compositions for the listeners to digest.

Snowblood – Untitled 1 [MP3]

Those looking to pick this up can do so by heading on over to SuperFi Records. Right now the CD version is available, however be on the lookout in the coming weeks for a limited 2xLP release of this monster. Enjoy!

Appollonia are a three piece currently based out of Bourdeaux, France that have just self-released their first album titled Among Wolves. The album follows up a five song demo that the band recorded in 2006, and to their credit for being such a young and relatively new band Among Wolves is a pretty solid record. This is coming from someone who generally is a bit picky when it comes to bands that are molded around the post-rock/metal deal. However Appollonia, who have only been around roughly a couple or so years, are already pretty well ahead of the game.

On Among Wolves the band does an admirable job in avoiding some of the genres largest clichés by mixing in some hardcore elements that ultimately keeps the songs concise and the listeners on their toes. One of the things that makes Among Wolves stand on its own against the number of similarly styled releases out there right now is Appollonia’s refreshing dynamics throughout the record, which as mentioned before keeps things from falling victim to repetitiveness. For a debut, Among Wolves doesn’t fail to impress and there is definitely reason to believe that the best is ahead for the band. Fans of Year of No Light, Overmars, Cult of Luna, etc should and will likely find something to like about Appollonia’s debut.

Appollonia – Sunset Boulevard [MP3]

For those looking to pick up Among Wolves, head on over to the bands MySpace to do that and to check out some more tunes from the band. Enjoy!

As I get older it seems like I begin to know what to expect out of things more often than not. This is more so for things that occur throughout my day, however the same could be said for music. It gets harder and harder to really be enlightened by new music, which is kind of scary in a way. Although I am quite sure it will never happen, will there be a point to where there just isn’t anything that genuinely surprises me anymore? I doubt it, but the thought still creeps into my head every once and awhile. But anyway, the reason I bring it all up is that I’ve been listening to the album Foe from the Brooklyn, New York trio of And This Army, which has put to rest that horrible thought and been quite the pleasant surprise for me. After listening to a couple songs on the bands website I really didn’t know what to expect. I could have listened to the whole album, but I chose to wait and here it on something other than my computer speakers. All I can say is that I am really damn glad I did. I don’t know what really best fits to describe them, but it’s somewhere in the post-metal territory with a slight touch of shoegaze thrown in here and there.

From the opening couple minutes of the song “Jezebel” I was pretty much already drawn in from the dark sounding bass line, then the vocals kicked in and that was it. If there is one thing that sets the band apart it’s the vocals from Brendan McDermott, which are truly breath of fresh air for music of this type. It seems like it always either has to be instrumental or the “indecipherable growling” route. McDermott’s vocals are perfect for what And This Army is doing too, being perfectly absorbed into the mix. It’s too bad that more bands can’t sound like this. On top of the absolutely stunning vocal work are the songs themselves. And This Army have crafted six songs that at times have managed to make me drop what I am currently doing and just soak in the melodies. For a trio these guys create a sound that is so full and gorgeous that it’s hard to believe that no one has taken a flier on this band yet.

And This Army – Blackbeard [MP3]

According the groups website, Foe will be officially released on April 20th. It is said it will appear on iTunes, Rhapsody, and etc. I suggest keeping an eye on the bands MySpace or website for future updates and for exact details on where and how to obtain the album. I highly suggest doing so as the album is amazing.

Hope everyone had a nice Easter weekend. I apologize for not updating basically since Wednesday. It ended up being a much busier week than I originally anticipated and it ended up leaving me pretty much exhausted for a couple nights in a row, which results in no updates for BOAWS sadly. Anyway, I am looking to get back into the swing of things for this week. I am hoping at least.

I really wish I was more up to speed with the music that is continually coming out of France because it seems like everything I manage to hear from the country, at least when it comes to harder music, is absolutely crushing. I happened to get the new Llorah EP at the beginning of last week and I have been rocking it pretty heavily since then. It was just released this past February and has been put out by the fine Atropine label which also co-released the Year of No Light album that I enjoyed so highly last year. Llorah are yet another fine example of the quality of noisy metal/rock coming out of France. The band on their debut EP play a sort of post-metal that throughout has a touch of the faster and more ferocious qualities found in noise-rock, similar to that of Breach maybe. There is plenty of rumbling low end, which I am always a fan of. One way I always distinguish that I really like something is when I am sitting listening to an album or whatever it may be and there is eventually something that just strikes me. I mean sure, I can sit through a number of albums and enjoy them, but in the end there isn’t a definitive memorable moment. However, every so often I hear a portion of a song that pretty much solidifies my liking for an album. During the song “Echos” from about the 3 minute mark to about 3:40 there is a riff that does absolutely that. All in all this is a really solid EP that is definitely worth checking out. There is a limited amount of these and they come in a really cool silk screened cardboard package.

Llorah – Echos [MP3]

If you dig what you hear, these are available directly from Atropine.

I didn’t purposely go out and find another band that is from Chicago; it just happened that today I was listening to latest album from Del Rey, whom just happens to be based out of the city. Either it was an odd coincidence or just every band is from Chicago. I would assume it’s the first. Anyway, I just wanted to make it clear that I am indeed not obsessed with any one city.

Back to Del Rey though, they just released a new record through My Pal God Records just this past September titled A Pyramid for the Living. It’s their third album since forming back in 1997. The album possesses an almost otherworldly vibe to it, laying itself out as if it could be the soundtrack to some ultimately doomed but heroic mission. Quite intense sounding at times, which I am sure is partly due to the bands twin drumming set up they have going. Del Rey relies on these sorts of intricacies to make A Pyramid for the Living come to life in a whole other way for the listener and to set themselves apart from the rest of the field. The production is pretty amazing as well, which I imagine is needed when you have two drummers.

Del Rey – Stemrick [MP3]

This is a very nice effort from the Chicago quartet. If you like what you hear, you can pick it up over at My Pal God. Also, check out their MySpace for some other song samples.

Well, September is gone. As I mentioned in the previous post, this year is just speeding on past me. Shit, we’re already 3 months out from Christmas. Anyway, enough about that as I am sure there are those that are reading this that are feeling the complete opposite

The monthly mix for September is coming, as in its not being posted today but sometime later this week hopefully. Yeah, I know…it’s a bit later than I usually like to put them up here but I kind of slacked on it sometime mid month and have been trying to put it together for the past week or so.

Anyway, opening this month is a pretty solid album from Souvenir’s Young America. Oddly enough this is the second release from a metallic post-rock outfit that I’ve found myself enjoying within the past couple weeks. Crazy, I know. Anyway, this instrumental trio based out of Richmond, VA does well here on their self-titled debut. It’s not exactly the typical formulaic material that you generally hear in that it’s not crushingly heavy or “brutal”. Instead there is a larger emphasis on melody that is brought together by an array of different instruments including a keyboard, slide guitar, banjo, and a piano. There is definitely a much more serene beauty to this album that you won’t find in many other releases that commonly fall under the same category. They don’t try and stomp you into the ground with devastatingly heavy guitar work, instead the band does something that is much more difficult and lets the intense emotional qualities of the album do all the work. This is a lot more focused and accomplished than you’d come to find or expect from most debuts. In the end, Souvenir’s Young America shows a lot of talent to move forward with on future releases, which I will be highly anticipating.

Souvenir’s Young America – Letters from the Earth [MP3]

Their debut is currently out now and can be purchased over at Aquarius Records. Also, check out their MySpace for a sampling of more songs.

In a time now where many are going out and saying to hell with making frenetically paced screamo/hardcore music and taking up producing music of epic post-rock proportions, it is ridiculously hard to weed through all of these bands. Where everyone wants to sound like the next Isis or Pelican, it just makes it all that much harder for those that do take an innovative and different approach to this genre to get noticed. I’ll honestly admit that when I see a RIYL on some page that lists any of the main post metal/rock staples, I am reluctant to give it a shot or a fair listen. I know that’s terrible of me, send me hate mail or whatever, but really it’s the same for me as for others maybe seeing music being compared to Coldplay or something else as ridiculously boring. Anyway, that’s my tiny rant about the genre in general. Over saturation people, it sucks a fat one.

Now comes the part where I make mention of a band that goes against all of the odds and completely destroys any of the imitators around them. Across Tundras does pretty much that. On their debut album Dark Songs of the Prairie it doesn’t just sound barren and absolutely desolate, it feels like it too. It’s not surprising however as member Tanner Olson (Examination of The…, Spirit of Versailles) is from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Living somewhere like that, or anywhere in the Midwest for that matter, will undoubtedly wriggle itself deep into your brain and influence the way do things creatively. Thus, the cold, atmospheric, and timeless qualities this album possesses. It really does set it apart from any direct comparisons, which is quite nice. Often times slow and sludgy sounding, it doesn’t harbor itself too deeply within that. The sound throughout has a very fuzzy 70’s soaked sound to it, even sort of borderline psych here and there.

Across Tundras – Ramblin’ in the Shadows [MP3]
Across Tundras – Cosmic Retribution [MP3]

This is a real nice change of pace for those looking for something with a bit of a different slant, or something that has a very prominent Americana and country feel to it. To pick up Dark Songs of the Prairie head on over to the Crucial Blast website, highly recommended.

Today’s update comes from a band based out of Bordeaux, France called Year of no Light who after releasing a well-received demo have just recently released their first proper album Nord through Radar Swarm Records (E-Vinyl & Atropine for the vinyl). I have steadily been becoming more and more of a fan of the material that Radar Swarm has been putting out with releases from Cortez, Tantrum, and now Year of no Light.

For me, post-rock is a genre that is very hit or miss. I find a band to be either really boring or they can travel all the way to the other end of the spectrum and absolutely blow me away. On Nord, Year of no Light have pretty much floored me with something that breathes a bit of new life into a genre that has suffered from the effects of over saturation. The band treads a fine line between complete dense apocalyptic rock and the shimmering beauty of acts like Mono. Some of the songs on Nord stretch out into the 8 minute mark, however one of the more compelling features of the band is on some of the shorter/faster paced songs that bring to mind the likes of Old Man Gloom, showing a more ferocious and different side of the band. The vocals especially remind me of OMG, very distorted and hidden beneath the layers of guitars. Although the lyrics are entirely in French, that shouldn’t be any sort of issue as they are sang in an indecipherable screaming method anyway.

It’s good to hear something like this finally. Year of no Light have done a masterful job of piecing together elements of chilled drone, sludge, and post-rock to create something that is far more interesting than a lot of their counterparts. The album Nord has given me good enough reason to continue checking out music of this type and hopefully this isn’t the last we hear of this band as they display an obscene amount of talent for future releases.

Year of no Light – Sélénite [MP3]
Year of no Light – Par Economie Pendant La Crise [MP3]

If you like what you hear, go check out Radar Swarms website for ordering methods. While you are there also check out mp3’s of some of the other bands on the label through their bio pages. There is some good stuff on there.

Nope, not on this release. Eagerly awaiting the US release for the new album by Japanese hardcore vets Envy titled Insomniac Doze. Just released at the end of May in Japan, it won’t see a stateside release until August 22nd which will be put out through Temporary Residence.

For over a decade now, Envy have been releasing some of the most beautiful, while at the same time devastating hardcore music to be found. The band has countless numbers of 7 inches, compilation appearances, and full-lengths under their belt, which brings them up to their newest release Insomniac Doze. Carrying on with their special blend of post-rock influenced hardcore that builds and tears down musical compositions with the best of them. The intensity and emotion captured through Envy’s music is something that just has to be heard, and apparently the live show is even more balls out, which would surely be something to witness judging by the studio material. Regardless, the band has surely established themselves with each release as an amazingly talented band. If not, I have no doubt that Insomniac Doze will win over even more fans. This is a band that has gave its all over the years and still hasn’t let up one bit.

Envy – Further Ahead of Warp [MP3]
Envy – A Warm Room [MP3]

You can buy various Envy releases over here.

BONUS MP3:
Mogwai – I Chose Horses (feat. Tetsuya Fukagawa of Envy) [MP3]

Buy Mogwai Mr. Beast at Insound!

Just a couple small things for the blog today…

While skimming through my routine of websites after I got home from work, I found that Jesu had posted samples up on their MySpace account. Granted, they are fairly short clips, but just in the few seconds you get to hear from the three songs posted from the new EP Silver, you will automatically notice that it’s a bit more uptempo than the full-length. I am super excited for this EP though, the samples sound amazing and I don’t expect this to let me down at all. Anyway, go here to check those samples out.

Also, a bit of randomness, here is a nice live version of Texas is the Reason’s “A Jack With One Eye”. I want to thank Margaret from I am Daylights for graciously putting this song up for me to grab. I would have to say I enjoy it a bit more than the actual recorded song. A great great band indeed…

Texas is the Reason – A Jack With One Eye (live) [MP3]