Post-Rock

ALBUM REVIEW: COMPASS & KNIFE – THE SETTING OF THE OLD SUN

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Like any other genre, post-rock encompasses a vast array of spin offs and variations.  From the math centric to the ambient, the challenge for those of us with a need to categorize falls in the realm of discovering the correct word to depict both what we hear and how it makes us feel.  I’ve never necessarily been a fan of sticking genres labels to bands since the process seems to be fairly relative from person to person.  One listener’s post-rock is another person’s indie.  However, without descriptors an album review renders itself pointless.  Fortunately for me, Seattle’s Compass & Knife is incredibly proficient at getting right to the point.

Compass & Knife’s newest release, The Setting of the Old Sun, is skillfully written, masterfully performed, and down right good.  The quartet of polished musicians take little time to introduce themselves musically and for those looking for a straight forward, what you hear is what you get record, The Setting of the Old Sun is perfect.  From short ambient intros and bridges to uptempo, in your face choruses, the guys of Compass & Knife deliver a fantastic array of musicianship that is easily digested yet intriguing enough for more than one listen.

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The eight song, almost entirely instrumental album was released on November 17th, 2015, and in a short amount of time was able to garner enough respect to receive some album of the year recognition.  These accolades are absolutely deserved and appropriately administered as it’s blatantly obvious real thought and care went into the production of this record.  What makes this even more impressive is the fact they self-produced and self-recorded this album.

Some listeners might not take the time to explore the production notes of this album, but as someone who produces and records his own band, I can attest to the challenges and frustrations this process presents and am always curious to see who was behind the board.  When self-producing and self-recording, not only will your band be on trial for it’s writing aptness, but your ability to capture your band’s sound and present it as a finished product will also face relentless scrutiny.  While this approach is extremely fulfilling it can also be painstaking.  I don’t know how many times I’ve mixed my own music until my ears could no longer discern one guitar from the next.  When revisiting the final product months later, I’ve found myself wishing the snare was a decibel louder or that I’d cleaned up some mids in the guitars.  Thankfully, bassist Austin Patterson and guitarist Jordan Brokaw did a fantastic job producing and recording The Setting of the Old Sun and should be sleeping very well at night.

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The Broken Bow Sessions – Click Here to Watch

While each song is worthy of attention, the album’s finale, “Drowned in Desire”, clearly surpasses it’s predecessors.  Compass & Knife saved the best for last and exceeded my expectations by putting together an incredibly well thought out, well executed music video to showcase both their musical prowess and their conceptual capacity.  As we enter into an era where anyone can shoot a music video on their iPhone, it’s absolutely motivating to see a band put together an impressive visual to accompany their music.

Instrumentally based music is inherently open ended and it’s usually up to the listener to piece together their own storyline since no lyrical content exists to steer the narrative.  While “Drowned in Desire” can still be interpreted as the listener chooses, the music video adds a deeper dimension to the song that made me appreciate and enjoy the song even more.  And, once again, the fact that they filmed and edited the video themselves will forever keep Compass & Knife at the forefront of my list of remarkable, noteworthy DIY bands.

https://youtu.be/16YPo7hOJNU

For anyone looking for a great album to put on the stereo while working, or for a soundtrack to accompany a road trip, I highly recommend Compass & Knife’s The Setting of the Old Sun.

C.J. Blessum

ALBUM REVIEW: RED HANDS BLACK FEET – WE MUST FALL FOREVER IF WE SURVIVE

Red Hands Black Feet We Must Fall Forever if We Survive
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RED HANDS BLACK FEET - WE MUST FALL FOREVER IF WE SURVIVE band promo pic

Post-rock quartet Red Hands Black Feet from Boise, ID

Is it about the journey or the destination?  If I had to count on my fingers how many times I have had this age old debate I would need another set of hands.  Whether between bandmates while stranded with an overheated van in the middle of Washington or with friends at a casual get together, this argument always tends to find it’s way back into the discussion.  I’ve personally decided that it’s relative.  And yes, my conclusion is technically a destination that required a journey through thought which once again begs the question, which was more important?

Thankfully, Boise’s Red Hands Black Feet has written and released a new album that is all about the journey.  We Must Fall Forever If We Survive is the band’s second release and while the album is entirely instrumental, the underlying concept based around a space traveler’s struggle to stay adrift or return home adds a dimension that requires exploration.  Like well constructed chapter titles, each song title provides a starting point for listeners to delve into their own imagination and explore Red Hands Black Feet’s musical journey.

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“I Leave You And The Earth Behind” kicks of the record and moves from quiet, well thought out ambience into heavily fuzzed out, rolling ambience that masterfully prepares you for the rest of the album.  After coming to understand the concept behind this album, one can’t help but begin to explore their own imagination as soft and subtle guitar work drifts passed you.  The song continues to build very patiently before launching into an all out overdriven blitz that resolves the song beautifully.

“If I Let The Void In…” rolls in quickly with up tempo toms and aggressive guitars that eventually drop off into a bass driven, clean guitar groove.  Steady, systematic drumming carries this song until the tempo begins to wane and break into a more experimental section.  “If I Let The Void In…” has a very contemplative, questioning vibe that fits it’s title very well.

Red Hands Black Feet quickly answer their own question with the third song on their album, “…It Will Set Me Free“.  Beginning with repetitive clean guitars supported by swells and cymbal rolls, the answer is revealed as a very solemn realization.  Maintaining patience and precision, Red Hands Black Feet show their song writing strength as they ebb and flow through emotionally driven pushes and pulls.

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“It Is Lonely In The Universe” is the longest track on the album and is therefore offered the time and space to explore.  Once again staying true to their song titles, Red Hands Black Feet beautifully craft a soundtrack to aid your imagination in pondering the vastness of space.  Dynamics are explored to their fullest from gentle clean sections to soaring heavy resolutions before the song finally ends with the heart-like beat of the kick drum.

Red Hands Black Feet conclude their sophomore album with “Here We Make Our Stand“.  Entering with driven guitars and heavy, half-time drumming, the song screams defiance and strength.  Like most of the tracks on this album, the finale moves in and out of tonal spaces to add great dynamics to the overall recording.  The expertise and obvious care that was put into writing this album should be evident to even the casual listener.

Red Hands Black Feet have been working through their musical journey for a handful of years now and have truly put together a fantastic album in We Must Fall Forever If We Survive.  I have a deep appreciation for bands who choose to tell a story with their craft, both through their music and the way in which they stitch their songs together to form a congruent and thoughtful album.  Sometimes music is a great way to turn off, but there are other times where turning your imagination on and exploring the musical journey can be utterly fulfilling.

C.J. Blessum

EP Review: Oscillate – Skepticism

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I first met Conor Coleman – the man behind Oscillate –  when he was drumming for now-defunct local band As Legends Rise. We had a lot in common: we’re both drummers, we both work in teaching roles, and we have some similar tastes in music. I remember one time we were at a Datsuns gig at San Fran and he got concussed somehow. I was pretty worried for him, but in typical Conor style he just laughed it off.

Conor was at my flat getting a home-job tattoo from my flatmate (he got two: a bear on his chest, and a zombie skull on his shoulder) when he introduced me to djent – technical metal with focus on angular syncopated riffs. When he asked me to check out one of his side projects I expected something along those lines, something heavy and influenced by bands like Periphery and The Contortionist.

And it is. Music that Conor has released under the guise of Oscillate is undeniably djent-y. But I was impressed that the music is also far more multifaceted than that.

Most of it is tight and technical progressive metal with complex rhythms. But there are some more tender moments as well. I love the twinkling piano parts in ‘Skepticism’. ‘I Slept Through The Noise…’ has some enormous sounding ephemeral interludes. ‘And I Dreamt’ is a brilliant dreamy track with an electric drumbeat reminiscent of triphop music like Massive Attack. It has tender piano and reverberating guitar that makes you forget that you were listening to articulate metal riffing a minute beforehand.

I asked Conor about a sample of Tommy Lee Jones talking in the film No Country for Old Men. He told me that he chose it in part because he loved the movie, and because it explored how he felt at the time of recording, seemingly stuck with limited options forward. Themes of existentialism and inevitability run throughout the EP, like the musical equivalent of The Matrix (not that there are any lyrics to show this).

Cloudkicker is the most similar act that I can think of – a one-man post-metal project. Other similar sounding bands include Northlane, Dumbsaint and Russian Circles. That’s no small achievement for a 21-year-old solo musician. Conor has proven himself as more than just a metal drummer. This Oscillate EP shows off his skills as a multi-instrumentalist and composer, and reveals great potential for more to come.

Links:    Bandcamp     Facebook

Album Review: Ranges – Night & Day

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Ranges are a post-rock act from Bozeman, Montana who started out as a trio, and have recently expanded to a 5-piece so that they can play live. Together they write themed instrumental music that is often accompanied by visuals of some kind. Some themes of their past projects have been the Montana ranges, the solar system, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s teachings about taking action when you see something wrong. Recently Ranges and some other artists from the region were asked to each contribute to collection that explored the dichotomy of night and day. Ranges’ entry resulted in their latest single, ‘Night & Day’.

I’ve classified this write up as an album review, but in reality it’s a song review. That said, this song is longer than many EPs that I review here anyway. Like the song ‘Dominion’ by Jakob, ‘Night & Day’ is big enough to be a stand alone release without needing the context of an album to sit within.

The song last 24 minutes, representing the 24 hours of the day. Listen closely and you may be able to hear changes that signify different parts of the day, like sunrise or sunset.

The song begins soft, slowly building. After a few minutes things begin to perk up with a piano ostinato, a mantra that slowly ebbs in and out. I interpret this part as birds chirping for the dawn chorus. My favourite part is a stark cut out around the five minute mark with just an electric drum beat and the piano ostinato. Proper drums enter a minute later, solidifying the sound. The song sounds quite uplifting as it increases in intensity.

Around the 7-9 minute mark the piano drops out and the music gets heavier. The tone changes at exactly half way. The soft picking transitions into soaring overdriven guitars and crashing crescendos. The mood becomes cyclical, with tender breaks that launch into a powerful wash. Soaring guitars fly over heavily struck drums. At 18 minutes the mood drops back to a more solemn tone as the day breaks and the sun sets. A guitar bend could just as well be a Coyote howling in the moonlight. The music slowly begins to settle and simplify as it progresses towards the end, ending in eerie swells and light feedback.

A nice touch is that the song was written to loop back on itself continuously, like the cycle of night and day, so if you listen to it on repeat you won’t be able to tell where it starts and finishes.

Mark Levy getting ready to track drums for the song 'Night & Day'

Mark Levy getting ready to track drums for the song ‘Night & Day’

One reason I like Ranges so much is because they’re more than just a band that makes music. Their work is often part of a bigger project. For ‘Night & Day’, Ranges, along with other artists, were asked to create art inspired by the theme, in any medium they wish. Other past projects include providing music for a dance performance when TED came to town, and providing the soundtrack for the short film Tronkyin.  Ranges also put on two feature length audiovisual shows at a Planetarium in support of their album Solar Mansion, which reminds me of local Wellington composer Rhian Sheehan, who also creates soundtracks for shows at Planetariums and observatory domes. Everything that Ranges put out seems ambitious and extended beyond expectations.

Like I said in my Gilmore Trail review, one of the reasons that instrumental music is so intriguing is because the absence of lyrics leave the music open ended so that the listener can interpret the music however they wish. Even though we know that the song is inspired by a 24 hour day, we can still insert our own stories to fit the soundtrack.

Ranges is a band that pushes the conceptual envelope and expands on ideas across mediums, and ‘Night & Day’ is no exception. As well as being a glorious musical track, the sonic interpretation of night and day makes the song all the more interesting. The song is dynamic enough to stay interesting despite it’s length, especially if you try to identify different parts with the song’s inspiration in mind.

Check out the video below to hear ‘Night & Day’ played live. If you like it then make sure to follow the links underneath for more.

ranges.bandcamp.com

www.facebook.com/alpharanges

Twitter and Instagram handle: @rangesmusic

 

Joseph James

Album Review: Toe – Hear You

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It has been a great year for post-rock. Wellington has recently been visited by some greats like This Will Destroy You, sleepmakeswaves and Mogwai. And some brilliant albums have been released by bands from all ends of the spectrum worldwide.

The latest such release is Hear You, the third studio full length from Japanese rockers Toe.

Although I would classify Hear You as post-rock, it isn’t a strictly instrumental album. In fact, many of the songs include singing, like the tracks ‘Commit Ballad’ and ‘Song Silly’. Some songs are softly cooed, some are rapped. There are both male and female singers, making the sound all the more diverse. The singing is also predominantly Japanese, but I think I can identify English in “Song Silly”.

This first half of the album sounds like one big song that slowly evolves. The second half is where things begin to mix up. ‘Time Goes’ actually sound more like rapping than singing, backed by some funky guitar, bass, and organ. The next song, ‘オトトタイミングキミト’ follows up with the hip-hop feel, this time with jazzy piano parts.

The crisp drumming throughout the album is standout. In fact, the busy drumming during breakdown in “A Desert of Human” is probably the best moment on the entire album. At times drummer Kashikura Takashiit hangs back, waiting. But when the time comes his playing is urgent and hurried, adding pace and filling the emptiness in a tasteful way. He plays around the timing with drags and shuffles, and makes the most of space with varied rolls, fills and flourishes. There is a very math-rock approach, adding colour and vibrancy to some otherwise straightforward sounding songs.

Hear You has a clean, cohesive sound that is soothing but engaging. It is predominantly percussion driven, with jangly picking and light strumming from the guitars. That said, even though there is a ongoing sound saturating the album, it is also incredibly experimental and subtly diverse. Take the track ‘G.O.O.D L.U.C.K’, for example. It contains tabla drumming, whining Kanye autotune sounds and cheerleader chanting. And somehow it all works in together. There are so many intricacies and subtle layers that only reveal themselves on repeat listens. It’s a short album – the 11 songs only add up to 40 minutes of material – but it’s a case of quality over quantity.

Hear You may be short, but it’s so good that you’ll likely find yourself listening to it on repeat anyway.

Joseph James