Last year Jayme had a great idea of making a list of our favorite records of ten years ago…way back to 1998 to be exact. Eric at Can You See The Sunset and I of course followed right along. Well, we are back again and hopefully making this a yearly feature for all of us. This time we explore our favorites of 1999. So, here we go again! This list ended up being 30 albums cause I could not stop thinking of great albums to recognize…1999 was a great year. I did not list any descriptions so if you want more info on a band or an album just ask in the comments and I will be happy to wax nostalgic on some of the lesser knowns.
Posts Tagged ‘Sigur Ros’
11.12.2009
28.09.2009
13.12.2008
Megan Mulligan – Columbia, SC
Annabel – Now That We’re Alive
The Decemberists – Always The Bridesmaid: Vol. 1-3
Colour Revolt – Plunder, Beg and Curse
Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
Kings of Leon – Only By The Night
Sun Kil Moon – April
City and Colour – Bring Me Your Love
The Gaslight Anthem – Señor and The Queen & The ’59 Sound
Death Cab for Cutie – Narrow Stairs
Sigur Rós– Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
The Daylight Hours – How To Make A Mess Of Things
- Megan gets eleven cause, well, you know. – Will.
10.12.2008
Dave and Jack Matney – Columbia, SC (click on pic)
25.11.2008
Upon initial observation, Eksi Ekso’s I Am Your Bastard Wings might seem like a peculiar release for Magic Bullet, a label more known for it’s instrumental behemoths and punk/hardcore bands. Upon closer inspection though, Eksi Ekso is actually made up of some former members of previous Magic Bullet alumni, The Burning Paris and On Fire. Eksi Ekso are an extremely mature rock band and some might even categorize the band into modern rock categories. But, that would be a gross understatement. Eksi Ekso are far too intelligent and ambitious to be confined that easily. From an instrumental standpoint, Eksi Ekso are certainly grandiose enough to match just about any post rock band. With a full string section for much of the record Eksi Ekso excels in creating illuminating soundscapes. Quite similar to a band like September Malevolence, Eksi Ekso have the might of a post-rock band with the subtle addition of vocals. The band’s musicianship and arrangements are stunning to say the least. I Am Your Bastard Wings is 50+ minutes of rising and falling, of pain and pleasure, of simplicity and elegance. While the album certainly illicits certain moods, Eksi Ekso’s I Am Your Bastard Wings is most certainly not just a mood piece that is meant to be left to the background. Turn the volume up on those headphones and realize the depths of what Eksi Ekso are creating here.
Genre: Indie/Post-Rock
RIYL: Sigur Ros, September Malevolence, Mogwai
Label: Magic Bullet
Killing Texas
14.11.2008
I just discovered Alcest’s 2007 album, Souvenirs d’Un Autre Monde, a few months ago and the album kills me every time. There has always been a somewhat informal link between metal and shoegaze. You have seen it with Justin Broaderick’s metamorphisis from Napalm Death and Godflesh into the warmer melodic depths of Jesu. French metal multi-instrumentalist Neige follows the same path with Alcest. You can call it post-metal if you want. Either way, it’s huge sounding and fans of Mogwai, Sigur Ros and My Bloody Valentine should take note as well. Souvenirs d’Un Autre Monde is a six song, forty minute journey into epic guitar bliss. Absolutely gorgeous.
Souvenirs d’Un Autre Monde
06.04.2008
Borko “Celebrating Life” (Morr Music)
Morr Music have invaded Iceland it seems. Borko is the label’s third recent Icelandic signing behind Seabear and Benni Hemm Hemm. Oh, and Borko is, in my opinion, the best as well. Borko is the project of Icelandic film/theatre musicican Björn Kristiansson. He has written music for theatre as well as modern dance. On Celebrating Life, Kristiansson provides beautiful (mostly) instrumental movements that are almost post-rock in their grand scope. But there is a noticeable sense of humor and playful spirit possessed by Borko. Stiff post-rock bands are rarely able to incorporate such levity but Borko pull off the feat rather easily. One of Kristiansson’s tricks is the use of a variety of vocal effects on Celebrating Life. It creates a playfulness rarely seen in these parts. The album is accented by horns as well and that addition offers a grand characteristic to these moving pieces. It especially shows on the album’s finest work, “Summer Logic,” which mixes in some well-placed harmonica too. Actual vocals do appear on occasion, like on “Dingdong Kingdom” and “Spoonstabber,” which is about being punched in the belly…go figure. Celebrating Life is a thrilling journey for fans of instrumental music. It also marks perhaps the best Morr release since Electric President. And that is some high praise right there.
Genre: Instrumental/Rock
RIYL: Unwed Sailor, Sigur Ros, Do Make Say Think
Dingdong Kingdom
01.04.2008
This Will Destroy You “This Will Destroy You” (Magic Bullet)
Two things to start this review off. First, have you ever noticed how post-rock instrumental bands have the most melodramatic names? This Will Destroy You, Explosions In The Sky, and Godspeed You Black Emperor! just to name a few. Secondly, as assinine as the term post-rock is, when listening to This Will Destroy You the term actually makes sense. This Will Destroy You are huge, expansive, wide open and completely beyond normal rock music. This is what it is supposed to sound like, right? The band’s debut, Young Mountain, was a solid yet somewhat unspectacular entry into the instrumental rock journal. The band’s second album is a different story though. It certainly shows a depth and willingness to expand. No more is the band content with the normal ebb and flow of the soft/loud dynamic. With more attention given towards creating atmospheres, This Will Destroy You put forth a gripping album full of glorious highs and desperate lows. Creating an instrumental canvas of vivid colors and cinematic scenes, This Will Destroy You are approaching the majestic imagery of Sigur Ros. While I have found myself involuntarily retreating from instrumental rock in the last couple of years, This Will Destroy You might just have what it takes to bring me back. With their second effort, the band has put down a massive gauntlet for all their peers to step up to.
Genre: Instrumental/Rock
RIYL: Mogwai, Explosions In The Sky, Sigur Ros
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