Sparklehorse ▼ It's a Wonderful Life

R.I.P mark, good men die young. Oh well. Good music would thrust him to heaven, even though he shot himself. God would understand. Meanwhile, go grab his best (in my opinion) album the man managed to release in his short but wonderful life, 'scuse the pun. Go grab his latest album ,whether legally or not, since money wouldn't mean much when you're dead. Mark would have wanted it to be that way.

Sparklehorse ▼ It's a Wonderful Life
Try it.

The Silent Ballet ▼ Volume XIV (extracted from TSB)

The guys at The Silent Ballet have outdone themselves, again. Their newest compilation, Volume XIV spotlights talents new to the post-rock scene, diverting the good from the bad, like a modern day Moses splitting the ocean. It is a must-have for fans of Mogwai, Eits, Mono etc etc. Showcases what the post-rock scene has to offer. I really recommend you go grab a copy of Volume XIV either from original TSB post, or directly here.

Tracklist

1. The Sight Below: Fervent
2. The Boats: The Astronaut
3. Glittering Blackness, Fall: III
4. ef: Sons of Ghosts
5. Nice Wings, Icarus!: Eagle
6. Nervous Doll Dancing: Les Pommes
7. Nils Frahm: Because This Must Be
8. Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson: Our Door Handles Stopped Moving Years Ago
9. Charlieshero: Oh, Good Morning
10. Radiant City: Key Control
11. When the Clouds: The Dawn and the Embrace
12. Arrive Alive: It’s Not What You Say It’s How You Say It

Get it here.

The Tough Alliance ▼ A New Chance

Gothenburg duo. Henning Fürst and Eric Berglund are two of a kind, each wielding pop & electro in hand (and the occasional baseball bat). Clearly taking influence and hopping on the European electronic music bandwagon, these lads have made airwaves and garnered criticism, positive and negative alike. Oh what distinct beats they make! The Tough Alliance leans in a natural disposition to be a real crowd mover. Their single, First Class Riot has been aptly retouched by jj, also incidentally a two piece Gothenburg outfit. Signs of a prevailing friendship bond? Probably. In anycase - Good beats make good bands. Check them out.

The Tough Alliance ▼ First Class riot (Touch of jj)

The Tough Alliance ▼ A New Chance
Try it,
Buy it.

Los Campesinos! ▼ Hold On Now, Youngster...

The name evokes youth and vigor, doesn't it? Well that is exactly what you have coming, in "Hold On Now, Youngster...". It seems that as of late, my recent posts have been almost unconsciously catered to optimistic cheerful tunes (with the exception of Toe, perhaps). Anyway, back to the present. Hold On Now, Youngster... reeks of saturated joy and suffering intermingled in a oddly compromising affair. You get songs like My Year In Lists, where I highly recommend you place a careful ear to their lyrics.

You said "send me stationary, to make me horny"
So I always write you letters, in multicolours**
Decorating envelopes, for foreplay
Damn extended metaphors, I get carried away.
I cherish with fondness the day (before) I met you

Los Campesinos! ▼ My Year In Lists

The amount of thought placed in their stuff is admirable, I mean, if you look at the stuff/crap in the media today. Them Campesinos! take things into a whole different level, with songs like "This is how you spell 'HAHAHA, I've destroyed the hopes and the dreams of a generation of faux-romantics" smacks of naked truth. Small bits of spoken word are also accumilated to the piece, adding a sort of realism relating their songs.



Then you have the songs, in which you can't help but dance to. Or if your tolerance level is high, wait till no one is around you -persumably by heading to the nearest found toilet- , then break in a feverish dance. If a mad (and deaf) genius would have planned to take over the entire globe through subduing its people to uncontrollable fits of dancing frenzy, one of the viable song choices in which to blast is, You! Me! Dancing!. Scary thought, eh?

Wordplay aside, the band effectively have alot going on, instrument-wise. With violins, glockenspiels, guitars and the such, you can be sure to expect intricate sounding pieces with alot going on. Definitely an album to die for. Get it while you still have fingers.


Los Campesinos! ▼ Hold On Now, Youngster...
Try It,
Buy It.

Alternatively, you can follow them here. Last time I checked, they we're doing food reviews. One cannot make brilliant music with an empty stomach!
** sorry about the multicoloring, i um.. got carried away.

Toe ▼ For long Tomorrow

Every once in a few, a song - a tune - gets stuck in one's mind, ears perk up gently as the song progresses, with each passing moment, a swift change in moods so gradual takes over. One may, or may not be aware of this particular transition, but it would well up, till the very the latest possible moment. Then, a sudden urge towards the end of the piece - like a dam released. That is literally what a couple, brilliantly composed music, could and would, entail.



Toe ▼ After Image


Kashikura Takashi.

One particular example is, Toe - a Japanese post-rock quartet - though most would argue that math-rock would fit their character best, in lieu to the scrupulous drumming patterns painstakingly administered by a certain Kashikura Takashi (drummer). What differentiates their music from the booming, all-too-common post-rock bands cropping out is that they have been performing, perfecting thier art for over a decade now (having started in 2001) and the fact that they gracefully managed to incorporate jazz and experimentation in their music as a whole. In ' For Long Tomorrow ' the quartet got together other vocal talents like Toki Asako (for "Goodbye") and Harada Ikuko (for "After Image").

Toe ▼ Goodbye(feat. Toki Asako)


A couple of songs are beautifully sparse, in contrary to most post-rock influences. That emptiness, that beautiful scarcity would be barely filled with vocals of sorts, from English to Japanese. You, the listener might not be able to make out the exact words these folks are uttering, but its up to the listener to create a vague assumption on what the song is about. "For Long Tomorrow", in my honest opinion, is up there, just below Godspeed's "Lift your skinny fists like antennas to heaven". The album is released through Machu Picchu, an independent music label from Japan. You can track the band's progress on their website, here.

Toe ▼ Two Moons

Toe ▼ For long Tomorrow
Try it,
Buy it.