Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson - Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson

Band: Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson

Album: Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson

Year: 2010

Country: Norway

I was lucky to find this album on a record convention some days ago, kind of unexpected I must say. I have to comment on the layout on this album before I go any further, it comes as a thirty page-thick book with lyrics, artwork and the album on double cd. I really like bands that put a little extra thought into their releases, wish I had a good camera so I could take a picture of it's content but here is a picture of how the exterior looks like. Cute huh?

Now on to the music. You have probably figured out just by the name that this i another post-rock band. What differs YPOFH from other bands in the genre is that the elements of pop-music is more prominent, a strong indicator to that is the fact that there actually are vocals in the songs. I usually never miss vocals when listening to post-rock but I couldn't picture (pun intended) YPOFH without the silky smooth singing. Sometimes it is actually the singing that highlights some song, for example in the song Our Door Handles Stopped Moving Years Ago where they repeat this phrase in a choir at the end of the song. I always find myself singing along to those parts without even thinking about it.

I recomend this album to everyone who enjoys well played and sugar sweet post-rock. Put it on and let yourself drift away for a brief moment, you know you're worth it.

Wonder if Florence Henderson herself listens to this band, hmm.

Song(s) You Should Listen To: Every song on this album is worth mentioning but I'll try to pick just a few. I'd Rather Listen To Weston is the song of on the record where the pop-influences shows the most. I really like the guitar-loop that kicks in at 4:20, it sticks right away and really lifts the song.

Our Door Handles Stopped Moving Years Ago is worth listening to just to hear the choir at the end. The song itself is very slow and mostly vocal-oriented, it also has a lot of string instrument which make it really coozy.

The best song must be The League Will Never Let the Albino Kid Win. It's one of those songs that builds up and then burst into full bloom at the end. And this is a really delicate flower.

HOMEPAGE/DOWNLOAD

Behzad Mehrnoosh - Reverie (2011)

Band: Behzad Mehrnoosh

Album: Reverie

Year: 2011

Country: Sweden

I know that MorteNee said that our next post was going to be something for all the frostbitten black metal-warriors out there but I have to let you down. If you by any means feel betrayed, angered, saddened etc you will have to settle the score with her.

Behzad Mehrnoosh is a one man band (at least that's what I've come to understand) from Jönköping, Sweden. He states that he takes inspiration from bands like Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Mogwai and Explosions In The Sky to name a few. I'd say that it shines through quite clearly and by that I don't mean in a bad and obvious way. In some songs, like Sol for instance, I can definetely feel some This Will Destroy You-vibes as well. By combining elements of these band together with experimental ambient, he manages to capture the essence of a lonely and gloomy Sweden during winter-times (we tend to get more reclusive than usually during that time of the year). What I find most enthralling is that he manages to do this in a way that's very uplifting at the same time, in a melacnholic yet beautiful way.

Behzad Mehrnoosh has to this date released two full length albums in a short span and I have a feeling that we haven't seen the last of him.

Song(s) you should listen to: With so many good songs on one record the best thing to do is to just listen to it from start to finnish, especially since the songs are so good entwined. I think that when it comes to good post-rock that's kind of the whole meaning, you dont get the same feeling out of the album if you just skip tracks.

BANDCAMP/DOWNLOAD

I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - Fear Is On Our Side (2006)

Band: I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness
Album: Fear Is On Our Side
Year: 2006
Country: USA
Once upon a time where internet was common, but no mp3-blogs existed, kids downloaded music with programs such as Kazaa or Napster. It was a total risk, because half of the time the kids got trojans and shit on their computer, and if your parents discovered you they banned you from the computer, because downloading was illegal and the whole family would be sentenced to death.
I was a cool kid though, so I used a program called Soulseek instead. And when you wanted to discover new music, you just went through a user's shared files until you found a cool band name. I discovered many obscure bands in that way, mostly horrible demos recorded in a cookie jar, but also good bands that I appreciate today too. One of them is I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness.
If you're the cool black metal dude that doesn't even stand Alcest, you should just wait for the next post, because this is not what we usually post on this blog. This is Post-Rock in a pretty commercial way, very well produced and with catchy tunes. Most of the songs are very light, but with a gloomy mood to it. Perfect for occassions such as when you're trying to sleep, when having friends over who has a divided music taste, or when you just want to clean your head.

Song(s) you should listen to: It may seem as a bad sign, but the best song on the album is The Owl, which is actually an interlude. It's by far the darkest track on the album, and I totally love it.
The Ghost is also a good song with a special gloomy and sad mood, though I would say that According To Plan is the catchiest song on the album.

MYSPACE / DOWNLOAD

In The Hearts Of Emperors - Tour EP (2010)

Band: In The Hearts Of Emperors

Album: Tour EP

Year: 2010

Country: Sweden

I don't know much about this band except that they are from a town here in Sweden called Nyköping and that they have just released a split LP with the mighty Downfall Of Gaia. This quartet is really a gem among the less known names of the Swedish post metal-scene. There is some good bands that have started to pop up that I'm sure I'll review here sooner or later, but lets get back to dissecting some royal hearts shall we? The music is somewhat floating between post-rock and sludge, there is some screamo-elements in there as well as some drone ala thisquietarmy but the focus is mainly on the sludge-aspect, slow and dreamy songs that progress to become powerfull and emotionally anthems. It all floats together really great and after listening to this EP a few times I'm very eager to hear the split and how they will progress in time. I can definitely see this band playing at big festivals in Europe and perhaps even cross the sea to the U.S in the future.

Song(s) you should listen to: Both the first and third songs are really good post-metal songs with a lot of highs and lows, layered instruments and great vocals. However i really like the second song which is more of a dronish/ambient song. It kind of serves like a interlude from the first song to the third but in itself it's a good and mellow soundscape similar to acts such as Impregnable and Secret Abuse.

MYSPACE/DOWNLOAD

Skt. Conrad - S/T (2007)

Band: Skt. Conrad
Album: S/T
Year: 2007
Country: Denmark

These danish sweethearts wasn't a very long lived band. They came out with a album, an EP, played some shows in their country, and then LE POUFF, they were gone. I heard about them a year or two ago from a friend who tends to dig up bands from their graves. And nowadays Skt. Conrad seems to be a pretty popular band amongst the skramz kids.
Denmark isn't a country famous for making good music (even though they have some diamonds, and more to come), so I was very surprised when I heard about their origin, and the fact that they wrote some songs in Danish. This album actually starts off very nicely with a song in Danish, and it doesn't sound bad at all! To us Swedes, Danish is normally a kind of a "drunken" and totally hilarious language, but it doesn't sound like this here.
When it comes to the music, it's not something new and bizarre you would have a very hard time to listen to. It's quite the opposite, they are going with the 90's emo thing, so it's pretty simple. They mostly use clean vocals, with some screaming in the chorus. If they had continued to play until today, they probably be a big commercial band.

Song(s) you should listen to: Freezing In November is the typical Skt. Conrad song. It starts out a bit shy, but it will grow into a black and battled teenage angst choir. The biggest reason for listening to this song though, is that the singer sound so sad and heartbroken. You will feel pity for this little boy.

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Of Legend - Cleric of Samsara (2010)

Band: Of Legend

Album: Cleric of Samsara

Year: 2010

Country: United States

Of Legend from Atlanta is a 5-piece band which, according to their lastfm, uses "the loudest sound equipment they can afford". Although the album-cover looks like something suitable for a power metal/viking rock-band you won't find any of that stuff here. Well I guess that if you use your imagination the vocals could resemble the sound of Thor riding across the sky hailing down thunder at the world, or the sound of a mountain crumbling to dust, whatever you find most appealing. Cleric of Samsara is as loud and dynamic as it is melodic and mesmerizing. The songs are long and has a variety of peaks, fleeting between soft mellow parts to loud and heavy parts. Although the songs can be repetitive there is always something waiting around the corner that keeps it fresh and interesting. Together with the really strong and passionate vocals it makes Of Legend a band that you definitely should not pass on.

Song(s) you should listen to: The Cleric is the last song of the album and starts off strong right away rather than gradually go from soft to strong. It relentlessly keeps pounding it's sludginess on you until it fades out and all is quite once more. A solid end to a solid album.

MYSPACE/DOWNLOAD

This Empty Flow - Magenta Skycode (1996)

Band: This Empty Flow
Album: Magenta Skycode
Year: 1996
Country: Finland
We've uploaded some new albums in a row now, so I thought we would go for an ancient one this time. When this was released I was an utterly ugly kid with crooked teeth and glasses, so I have to be honest, I don't know what was going on at the time. I would like to believe that this album was inspiring for a lot of artists to come, but I never heard of this album or this band until I stumbled over it while looking for some old Doom. Believe it or not, but most of these guys were playing in Thergothon, one of the bands that are considered to be the formers of Doom.
This Empty Flow is totally different from Thergothon. They are still creating the dark mood with huge success, but they're mixing it with a lot of other influences. There's is a huge amount of Post-Rock and Shoegaze, which is maybe not so surprising. The surprising part is maybe the Britpop-influences, making this sound like an ambient version of Joy Division.

Song(s) you should listen to: I think you should listen to the whole album. I know some die hard Doom-fans can't stand some of the songs, because they can be a bit whiny and cheesy. But they never got their stone cold hearts broken.

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thisquietarmy - Aftermath (2010)

Band: thisquietarmy

Album: Aftermath

Year: 2010

Country: Canada

Montreal-based thisquietarmy consists of one man and his fellow companion, his guitar. Using various effect processors and other futuristic stuff that I'm too stupid to understand he creates a soundscape that lingers in the twilight between post-rock and drone. A wall of sound with lots of different melodies hidden beneath would be the best way to describe this. In other words the more attention you pay while listening the more you discover. But if you don't feel like breaking this down to the core and write an essay on every note you can just put this on while doing the dishes or whatever, it works just as good as soothing background music.

Song(s) you should listen to: Finding the Fallen is the longest track of the record and the one that I find most appealing. Also the transition from this song to the next, Unearthing the Past, is just great. The way they just float into each other is barely noticable and makes it feel like one complete song. Perfection.

MYSPACE/DOWNLOAD

Milanku - Convalescence (2009)

Band: Milanku
Album: Convalescence
Year: 2009
Country: Canada
Oh hi there, you fuzzy little man peach. I know what you're thinking right now; "Here comes Old Gregg, he's a scaly manfish..." But you don't know me. You don't know what I've got. I got something to show you. I'M OLD GREEEEEEEEEEGG!
And over to something quite similar, the Canadian band Milanku. Not that they're having seaweed hair and manginas, but you don't really know what to expect from these guys. First of all, they sing in French, which some Canadians do, but you still can't figure out what they're singing about. Second of all, when you're sitting there and are listening to the album, you will kind of get the feeling of a post-hardcore version of Mogwai. Then all of a sudden there is VOCALS. What the hell? Oh, it was probably just on this song... But wait, there's MORE in the other songs. They have a very strange way of presenting the vocals. They include just a little bit of vocals in the very end of the song. Probably so the ones who think instrumental bands are really boring to listen to will stand this album.
And they sure do got the funk.

Song(s) you should listen to: Mépris is the best one in my opinion. It starts of pretty generic and slow, but about 2.12 minutes into the song, the guitar riff of heaven folds out like a daisy flower.

MYSPACE / DOWNLOAD

Irreversible - Age EP (2006)

Band: Irreversible

Album: Age EP

Year: 2006

Country: United States

Just like with all genres you have leading giants in the form of bands who carries the genres flag forward. In the sludgescene these giants are without a doubt Neurosis, Cult of Luna and Isis (yeah I know Isis disbanded but that doesnt make then less crucial to the scene). But every now and then a band from the underground reaches out and shows us that they can do just as good music. Irreversible's "Age" is just that kind of album. Four songs plus an intermission packed with just about everything you can ask for in a sludgeband. Crushing guitars, heavy drumming, layered melodies, eery atmosphere and a hint of darkness sprinkled on top, the recipe for a delicious sludgecake.

Song(s) you should listen to: 8:22

Probably my personal favourite of the album. Slow layers of heavy melodies that fades out into a down tuned and soothing interlude just to explode in a burst of emotion, just the way I like it and a perfect ending for a near perfect album. And if you ever doubted that this band took it's name from the french film with the same name just read the lyrics to this song, "Time has ruined me. Time destroys all things."

MYSPACE/DOWNLOAD

Líam - Journey... Two Years And A Fragment (2008)

Band: Líam
Album: Journey... Two Years And A Fragment
Year: 2008
Country: Germany
This album title may sound like the most thoughtful complex title in the world, maybe a concept album about someone who went through a state of *insert random emotion here*, but I have to spoil it for you - it isn't. Líam just picked out some of the songs they made in the last two years, and made this album. It may not sound so extraordinary, but the album itself is pretty interesting. It starts off with a post-rock sound. Though the band is claimed to be negative about this society we're living, the first track is pretty light and upplifting, sounding like Mogwai's baby cousin. As the album continues, you will start to notice that it will get a bit darker, but still with those instrumental post-rock influences. It flows in the landscape of Alcest, until the middle of the album, when a shriek suddenly wakes you up. This is the black metal-part of the album, where you can truly hear bitterness and agony mixed in a apocalyptic kind of way. This is therefore an album suitable for everyone, since the first part is uplifting for happy days, and the other part is not-so-happy for those days of hell.

Song(s) you should listen to: As I told you before, this album is divided into two parts, one lighter, and one darker. Since I joined the dark path before I was born, I prefer the last one. Etienne is the longest song on the album, and since the post-person I am, I tend to like that one very much. It's very moody from the beginning to the end, so it will best be served in a dark isolated room with a cup of despair to drink.
But everyone has different tastes, so I think you should just listen to the album and pick your favourite.

MYSPACE / DOWNLOAD

Suffocate For Fuck Sake - Suffocate For Fuck Sake (2004)

Band: Suffocate For Fuck Sake

Album: Suffocate For Fuck Sake

Year: 2004

Country: Sweden

Thought i'd upload this since the 2008 LP already is up and running. The main theme is the same as on the LP, epic post-rock and heavy sludge fused togethet with a storyline told through samples in the songs. This story I think is a bit sadder and darker than the LP. We get to follow a man named Hasse who has a very serious condtion, he cant sit down.

Song(s) you should listen to: Just like before you really should listen to the whole album from the beginning to the end to get out the most of the experience. But if you just want to listen to a song because you want to hear good music i especially like the first song "Hospital/H/The Social Worker Dragon" and "Promenade".

MYSPACE / DOWNLOAD

Suffocate For Fuck Sake - Blazing Fires And Helicopters On The Frontpage Of The Newspaper. There's A War Going On And I'm Marching In Heavy Boots (2008)

Band: Suffocate For Fuck Sake
Album: Blazing Fires And Helicopters On The Frontpage Of The Newspaper. There's A War Going On And I'm Marching In Heavy Boots
Year: 2008
Country: Sweden
Once upon a time about two years ago, I was sitting by the computer, and a friend who I hadn't heard anything from for a while wrote "HAVE YOU HEARD THIS EPIC SHIT?!" on msn. This guy was the one who once introduced me to Mihai Edrisch, so I was pretty eager about his new discovery. He sended me the album, which has the longest name I've ever seen, and I cranked up the volume. Since then I've never been the same.
Suffocate For Fuck Sake is a pretty decent band mixing a lot of different genres. But the way they're doing it is really extraordinary. This album follows the narrative of a depressed woman, starting around the time she tried to comitted suicide for the first time. She, her mom, her best friend, the doctor etc. are talking in between the songs, with the music going in the background as some kind of soundtrack. So we get to follow this girl through years of depression, from hospitalizing to recovery.
This maybe doesn't sound like much of a deal, but it's really hard to describe this album in a fair way. Just listen to it, you will get blown away.

Song(s) you should listen to: The album itself is a story, so if you're just listen to a track here and there in no particular order, it will turn out to be nonsense. But, the storytelling is in Swedish, so if you don't know the language the telling will be nonsense anyway (but there should be an english translation to be found somewhere, they printed translations in the booklet). But I will still recommend you to start with the first song Blue Lights And Sunshine. It still gets me to poop in my pants at occasions.

MYSPACE / DOWNLOAD

Les Discrets - Septembre Et Ses Dernières Pensées (2010)

Band: Les Discrets
Album: Septembre Et Ses Dernières Pensées
Year: 2010
Country: France
They say you should never judge a book by its cover. But I think the album cover of this album, made by the talented Fursy Teyssier himself, sums up most of it. Some songs are pretty light and catchy, while others are darker and a bit melancholic, therefore the grey scale. The melodies are telling quite a tale by themselves, but the masculine vocals make it even better. Unfortunately I don't know French, if I did I maybe would have an explanation for the big ass crow thing.
It's pretty hard to fit this into one genre, but I would consider it as epic post-rock. Fursy used to be a session member in Alcest, and it's definitely noticeable. Fursy is not copying any of Alcests work though, he started Les Discrets around the same time Alcest started, but haven't released anything until this year.

Song(s) you should listen to: Les Feuilles De L'Olivier
If 10 000 Clydesdale horses galopping in fury through the woods in the middle of a stormy autumn evening would be translated into a song - this would be it.

MYSPACE / DOWNLOAD