Herra Terra - Quiet Geist

Boston-based band Herra Terra easily stand out from the rest of the acts on The Mylene Sheath label. They are a fairly new band to the roster and create dark, new-wave style pop music that is somewhere along the lines of Le Tigre, Depeche Mode, Head Automatica, and Duran Duran. For such young lads, Herra Terra sure know how to write mature music. Their sounds are a gift to a music industry that has gotten stale and bombarded with copycats. Most electro-pop bands have very weak vocals that go along with the music, but Herra Terra's vocalist has a very deep, mature sounding voice that makes this genre of music sound stronger than ever. This album may sound very familiar to fans of 1980's electro-pop, but it is in no way a rip-off.

The album opens with 'Ejection Seats', which is the perfect way to start off an album. The song starts off with a riff that sounds promising, grinding bass lines, and synth-heavy structuring. Tonelli's vocals come into the mix and immediately pull the listener in. This album has some of the most powerful vocals that I have heard from any new band coming into the industry. Songs like 'No Tricks' and 'Lost in Labyrinth' are very dance-oriented, where as songs like 'Make a Scar' and 'Organs for the Afterlife' are more alternative, rock sounding pieces. 'Nothing is Yours to Keep' is a very blissed-out, ambient track, which leads into 'White Cells Rush', a shoegaze track that sounds like it took a lot of influence from Depeche Mode.

All in all, 'Quiet Geist' is an album that many will enjoy. It is an album for music fans in general. Herra Terra are not a big band, and that is surprising, because the music that comes from these four human beings is of top-notch quality. As much as I would like for Herra Terra to stay independent and continue doing the D-I-Y thing, I could see them getting big in no time. This is in no way a bad thing. The airwaves really need some good music and I think Herra Terra have just the trick.

Hear Quiet Geist in its entirety here:

http://herraterra.bandcamp.com/album/quiet-geist

Mogwai - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will

Glasgow, Scotland natives and experimental music pioneers, Mogwai, have carved the path for many and have influenced numerous other bands in the post-rock genre. For a genre that is very serious and almost melancholic sounding, you would think that the pioneers would keep this sound alive throughout, but this is not the case. Mogwai, for one thing, have a great sense of humor. One can tell this by just looking at the song titles. Names such as 'Batcat', 'Glasgow Mega-Snake', and 'I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead' make no sense, but they don't really need to, because Mogwai's music is that legendary. They like to experiment with many different styles and are safe from being labeled post-rock, a name that they have always despised. One thing is for certain, these five Scots continue to make ears bleed with the release of 'Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will'.

Many of the songs on 'Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will' follow in the footsteps of Mogwai's epic catalogue, however, there are some surprises on this release. Many of the sounds that Mogwai create could be sounds that one might hear in big-budget films or car commercials, but other sounds could even be danced to in a club-type setting. Opener 'White Noise' begins with muted guitar and lush piano arrangements. Keyboards help to round out the track and form the central melody for its entirety. The track 'San Pedro' brings to mind stoner-rock (Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age), where tracks such as 'Mexican Grand Prix' and 'George Square Thatcher Death Party' use mainly keyboards and synths to create 80's sounding electro-pop. These tracks bring to mind bands such as Kraftwerk, Neu!, and My Bloody Valentine. 'Rano Pano' contains fuzzed-out guitar and remains fairly monotonous throughout while 'Death Rays' contains guitars, synths, and pianos, to create a spectacle of beautiful melodies (something Mogwai is very keen on). 'Letters to the Metro' and 'Death Rays' are both very mood-driven tracks, but where 'Death Rays' sounds hopeful, 'Letters to the Metro' sounds sleepy. 'How to Be a Werewolf' begins as a slow, synth-driven melody, which eventually turns into a full-fledged rock song. 'Too Raging to Cheers' sounds like a sadder version of 'Auto Rock' from 'Mr. Beast', while 'You're Lionel Richie' resembles Godspeed You Black Emperor with the slow-build-until-crescendo technique.

'Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will' shows that Mogwai definitely can switch up the routine if they please. This is a masterpiece of an album and being the seventh album, one would think Mogwai would have gone stale by now, but it sounds to me like this is only the beginning (fourteen years later). Fans since day one, as well as new listeners, will hear elements of krautrock, shoegaze, dancehall, techno, post-rock, alternative, punk, and ambient, and will never get bored with this album. This could easily be Mogwai's best album since 'Young Team' and they have definitely opened new doors over the years.

 

Vessels - Helioscope

Leeds-based five-piece Vessels have created a masterpiece with their second album 'Helioscope'. The album was released through Cuckundoo Records on March 7, 2011, and is Vessel's first album in three years and the follow-up to their debut album 'White Fields & Open Devices'. To be honest, the three years were well spent and the wait was well worth it.

The great thing about Vessel's 'Helioscope' is that every track is different (contains many styles) but the album still manages to keep the post-rock sensibility throughout. The post-rock genre has gotten so watered down over the years with every new band sounding like an exact replica of the pioneers of the genre. Post-rock acts today have to remain focused and throw in new styles/techniques to keep the listeners' attention. No one wants to hear the same album twice, and Vessels have succeeded in creating something completely different than their other material.

The opener 'Monoform' takes elements of krautrock and free-form jazz and then takes off on its own path within the last sixty seconds. Bands such as Tortoise and Don Caballero come to mind. 'The Trap' is the only song on the album that resembles anything the band has released before. The scenic melody reminds me of 'Hundred Times In Every Direction' off of 'White Fields & Open Devices'. 'Later Than You Think' reaches post-rock's peak. It is an experimental gem that reminds me of Foals, another UK-based act. The track that stands out the most on 'Helioscope' however, is 'Recur'. This song contains breathy vocals (something rarely heard on the album) and sounds very similar to an early nineties shoegaze/grunge/alternative track. It is a completely new sound for Vessels and it is phenomenal.

'Meatman, Piano Tuner, Prostitute' is as strange as the name itself, but a beautiful sounding strange. The track contains gentle vocals by Brighton-based singer Stuart Warwick and sounds to me like Radiohead and Flying Lotus had twins and named them Mogwai and The Album Leaf. 'Art/Choke' is a very heavy and noisy track while 'All Our Ends' is filled with acoustics and vocoder-driven singing. The closing track 'Spun Infinite' completes the album with choral vocals and its feel is slow and subtle until it eventually fades out.

'Helioscope' is, all in all, a beautiful record. It was produced by the legend, John Congleton (This Will Destroy You, Explosions In The Sky), who has produced some of the most epic sounding recordings and continues to do so. This album is definitely an accomplishment for Vessels and being only their second album, one can only hope for better things to come, and it can't get much better.

Sey Hollo - Growth (EP)

Hailing from northern Sweden, Sey Hollo is the solo-project of Sebastian Larsson. The music is generally made up of rusty sounding guitars and old pianos. This is very stripped down music. Some might even call it poor man's post-rock. Sey Hollo follows the same structure as other post-rock acts (quiet, loud, quiet, loud), but manages to not be as technical. The music is very simple all around, but still manages to be heavy in nature. Sey Hollo's 'Growth' EP goes to show that it only takes one man to create such epic soundscapes, and I mean soundscapes that the heavyweight acts are creating.

'Growth' starts off with the track 'Eunoia' which sounds much clearer than the debut release upon first listen. This is due to the fact that Sey Hollo has dealt away with the crunchy organs and has replaced them with clean, crisp pianos. The piano builds up in the song, leading into some creepy recorded voice samples, ending the song with a beautiful distorted crescendo. Next up is 'World Trade Center', which gives off an apocalyptic feel. Dark, cold keys make up the majority of the track and voice samples that are very hard to hear help to give off the vibe better. 'Growth' has to be my favorite song on the EP which emulates the first track very well. Piano fills the entire song which then leads into an epic crescendo of sonic proportion. The closer, 'Vita Si Chakula', helps to round out the four-song EP by being the emotionally driven song by Sey Hollo. The 'Growth' EP is definitely for fans of post-rock or instrumental rock in general. The unique part about Sey Hollo is that it is Sebastian Larsson's solo-project, and that he is making music that is just as transcending, if not more, than full-out musical groups. Do yourself a favor and purchase Sey Hollo - Growth (EP).

Lavinia - There Is Light Between Us

First and foremost, Lavinia are no post-rock supergroup. The four-piece contains current and former members of Caspian, Eksi Ekso, The Burning Paris, On Fire, and The Fatal Flaw. The band signed to Mylene Sheath Records and released their debut album 'There Is Light Between Us' on November 16, 2010. Lavinia cover a whole lot of musical territory in just five songs, and that is an accomplishment in itself.

The album opens with 'Destroy Yourself', which begins with a slow and steady bass introduction and almost whispered vocals. The track follows the typical structuring for many post-rock tracks: quiet to loud, then back to quiet. At the 3:30 mark this song explodes into sonic amplification. 'Destroy Yourself' has one of the most epic crescendo's I have ever heard in post-rock music. Next up is the track 'A Damning Confession'. This track brings ot mind The Cure or The Twilight Sad. It contains a mixture of slow alternative musicianship and melancholic vocals that are kept at low volume. There is a ton of room for the band to release their tight compositions due to the vocals being quiet. The third track, 'Fires', follows a very similar pattern to 'Destroy Yourself'. Slow musical passages layering into epic walls of sound. 'Windmills' gives off a Midwestern feel, relying heavily on slide-guitar. The last track 'Bone and Arrow' is the longest track on the album, clocking in at over seven minutes. This is the most positive sounding song on 'There Is Light Between Us', but still captures that cold and dark element. 'Bone and Arrow' starts off with a hopeful sounding banjo passage which then builds into another song of sonic intensity and then finally levels out with more banjo, giving a positive and hopeful send-off. All I can say is that Lavinia sound like they have been playing together for years and this is only their first album. If they are already pushing the musical boundaries on 'There Is Light Between Us', I can only expect good things for the future of Lavinia.

Tape - Revelationes (2011)

The Swedish trio Tape create simple, yet beautiful, music. Their style is very melodic and the recordings are clean, with very few effects in the mix. Ambient music can sound like you are having a very bad experience when not thought about carefully. It is rare when a band creates such simple music that they can get it to sound monstrous without using all of the add-ons. Brothers Andreas and Johan Berthling and Tomas Hallonsten have a very gentle approach to making clear and relaxing sounds.

Upon first listen, I hear elements of Tortoise (a jazzy, post-rock feel). Tape's new album, Revelationes, is clear and concise music. There are no suprises on this album, nor are there big crescendos like many post-rock albums. The song 'Dust and Light' brings to mind Slint's masterpiece 'Spiderland'. The interesting thing is that even without these epic moments, I never get bored with the album. Simple guitar, jazz drumming, vibraphones, and theramin set the mood for the record, and this is really all that is needed. Revelationes never drags, always remains focused, and what a beautiful album it is to enjoy. Check out the title track 'Revelationes' off of Tape's newest offering 'Revelationes':

Eksi Ekso - Brown Shark, Red Lion

Eksi Ekso (which means "six outside" in Greek) are an extremely talented trio hailing from Boston, Masachusetts. Originally starting out as a six-piece (hence "six outside"), the band released "I Am Your Bastard Wings" in June of 2008. This album had more of an orchestarted feel than their newest offering "Brown Shark, Red Lion" and this is partly due to the fact that two of the original female members played violins for the album. This is no longer the case. Although "Brown Shark, Red Lion" has a minor orchestrated feel, the album is mainly influenced by post-rock and r&b/soul sensibilities (at least that is what I hear). While "I Am Your Bastard Wings" had a melancholic and gloomy feel to it, "Brown Shark, Red Lion" has more of an upbeat and positive vibe. Many reviewers have been comparing this album to TV on the Radio and Mogwai, and I hear this myself, but Eksi Ekso have brought on a new genre all together (and a good one at that). You can listen to the first three songs of the album by clicking on the Eksi Ekso music player above the blog posts.

The album opens with "Kills Of The Flood Tide", which was released on single vinyl months prior to the album release. This is the first single off of the album and gives off that pop/mainstream single feel upon first listen. All the elements are present (pop vocals, piano, acoustic guitar, etc.) and this song is sure to be enjoyed by anyone that gives it a spin. The next track "Carte de Visite" is my favorite track off of the album and this is where the TV on the Radio and Mogwai influences come in. A music blog that I visit entitled stereotypingmusic.blogspot.com has quoted this song as sounding like "TV on the Radio sprinkled with metal sauteed in Mogwai". I couldn't agree more with this comparison. The vocals sound very similar to TV on the Radio and the electronic glitches sound a lot like Mogwai's "The Sun Smells Too Loud" off of "The Hawk is Howling". These two bands go down in my list of favorites, as does Eksi Ekso, so to be compared but to also have a style of their own is incredible. I am not going to go into details about each song, because I would like for the viewers of this blog, as well as music fans in general, to take a listen on their own. All I can say is that you need to hear this album. If you are a fan of TV on the Radio or Mogwai, good, but that is not why you should listen to this album. You should listen to this album because it draws on a variety of genres and has a complex and unique style of its own.