I’m losing track of features and contributors around here but I guess that is a good thing. Welcome Ben Hendricks of the wonderful Annabel to the SAL team. I’m excited about Ben coming on board cause I think he will add a bit more “indie” hip to the site. Cause, apparently, we aren’t cool enough! – Will
“Post-rock” seems to be a term used to describe anything instrumental within the indie world these days. Whether the generalizaion is fair or not, it’s a tag that Tempe, Arizona’s Lymbyc Systym seem destined to bear. Originally released in 2005, Carved By Glaciers shows the band attempting to make its first mark on the often misunderstood genre.
Lymbyc Systym’s aesthetic is not that far off from bands such as The Album Leaf, Six Parts Seven and Tristeza who exercise slow-moving, melodic passages that incorporate electronics into their sad dreamland. But while most of those formentioned bands dwell predominantly in their own safe melancholic harbor, Lymbyc Systym occasionally venture into less explored territory, implementing flashes of salsa rhythms and smooth-jazz excursions. Even glints of soul balladry can be found in songs such as “Selamat Pagi (Donna’s Song)”.
The band is made up of brothers Jared and Michael Bell, who formed the band in 2001. The songs are based around the siblings’ pairing of Rhodes electric piano and syncopated jazz drumming while relying on textured melodies to wrap each piece into a cohesive statement. Glitch laptop beats pulse underneath the acoustic drums as swirling synths create the ideal “contemplative fall afternoon” mood. The songs glide along as opposed to build up, using the groove as the main source of dynamics. The album shows the band using everything in its arsenal, such as accordions, glockenspiels and delayed guitars, to stand up against their peers in the gentler side of the post-rock world.
Carved By Glaciers also features two previously unreleased tracks re-mixed by the likes of Her Space Holiday and American Analog Set and serves as a hold-over until their full-length Shutter Release is issued in November.
Label: Magic Bullet
My Lost Last Step
04%20My%20Lost%20Last%20Step.mp3
