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Album: Tides/Giant - Split 12" Vinyl

Artist: Tides/Giant
Album: Split
Label: Level Plane Records
Year: 2007





Tracklist
01.Tides - The Invisible
02.Tides - Unfinished Highway
03.Giant - Horned And Blind
Download
Mirror

GIANT
Zac Jones
Isaac Jones
Derrick Wells
Kyle Whisenant
Rodney James

Based out of North Carolina, Giant started as the two peice post-metal project of brothers Isaac and Zac Jones in the fall of 2004. Growing musically, and not wanting to limit song writing, instrumentation, or ideas, they added long time friends and like minded musicians Derrick Wells, and Kyle Whisenant. Before recording their first 5 pieces of music in january of 2006, they solidified their line up with the addition of Rodney James. This opened up the ability to explore and dedicate themselves fully to their respective instruments and ideas, allowing also, room for growth in instrumentation and writing. furthermore, it allowed a solid base to begin touring and playing as much as possible. This, along with their forward thinking approach to current socio-political trends, is the foundation of an ever-growing machine to which the group currently whole-heartedly dedicates their lives.

TIDES

Moving to a new city is never easy, and for Boston's Tides, the process has taken over 3 years. Born and raised in the upstate New York town of Plattsburgh, Donny Green, August Issacson and Rob Dowler have been playing in bands together since they first picked up instruments. Four years ago Green moved to Boston to attend college and the other two members of the band have been slowly following suit. This summer will mark the first time all three have lived in the same place since high school, and our city doesn't yet realize how lucky it is. The band has been playing under this name for five years and the members have developed a brotherly relationship. Their playing has always been astoundingly fluid in a way that can't be forced and has obviously matured over time. In the live setting the songs ocationally meander beyond their recorded boundaries and it seems like the players will musically finish each others sentences.

If you like the split buy it on Relapse (red/orange splatter vinyl) or 29North (red/white splatter vinyl) records.

Myspace: Tides / Giant

Album: L'Homme Puma - L'Homme Puma

Artist: L'Homme Puma
Album: L'Homme Puma
Label: Communication Is Not Words
Year: 2007





Tracklist:
01. Wyniki Tlumaczenia Dabrowski
02. Votre regne s'acheve
03. La Jungle d'Alcaraz
04. Prelude d'un baiser
05. 6h22 un 20 septembre
06. Solidaire dans la decheance
07. Toute pudeur mise a part
08. Un week-end au lac Salomon
09. L'Homme respectable
10. Eloge des petites mains
Download
Mirror

L'Homme Puma was born in january 2005 and regroups 3 musicians of contrasted musical and geographic horizons. The stringent music of l'homme puma could be labelled as indie rock spiced up with some dub, noise, post-hxc incursions and enriched with samples (spoken word, electronic noise)... halfway between From Monument to Masses, Sonic Youth and Isis.

Needless to say, "L'Homme Puma" is not a band who will gain mass appreciation upon first listen. Critics will pass off the recording as a novel fusion of melody and audio feeds, but in doing so they are ignorant of the larger picture: a melding of diverse musical craft and imagination coupled with supreme technical aptitude. Perhaps it's true that being smashed between genres, between heaven and hell, L'Homme Puma lacks a solid identity in the world of instrumental rock. However, as fans begin to grow weary of the commonly-themed post-rock ventures, bands who occupy the fringe of experimentation, or those completely out in left-field (yes, the above reference was to the serial killer and the comic, respectively), will gather appreciation and a growing fan base. In other words, there's hope for ascension.

L'homme Puma @ myspace
Buy it here.

Album: Nahrayan - The End (EP)

Artist: Nahrayan
Album: The End (EP)
Label: Self Released
Year:2007






Tracklist
01.The Last Sunrise
02.A Dying Sun
03.The End
Download

From time to time, you discover a band, that from their name and artwork you understand that their music must be astonishing. Nahrayan is this kind of band. Their CD cover is dark yet beautiful, so is their music.
Nahrayan do not play anything new, but they play it well. Some doomish post-metal with ambient elements in the background. Because the EP is only 24 minutes long is not enough to quench your desire for sludge. We hopefully expect a full length album from Nahrayan and without a doubt will be a masterpiece. - Nordsee

The End.It is the title of our last recording,because is the end of our activity as a band.We decided to put a final to Nahrayan,but before we recorded 3 songs,instrumental songs,as a farewell to ourselves and all the people that followed us.The End,was recorded in MTX Studio by Matias Garcia,in a weekend,except keyboards,recorded by Nahemah´s guitarrist Miguel Palazon at his home studio.This postum E.P. isn´t edited by any label,and will not be edited.If someone want the E.p. or another Nahrayan recording,contact us or download from the web Blood is Truth,or another similar webs to download music.To more questions,see you on this space!! Thanks to everybody. The End - Nahrayan

For fans of Isis - Neurosis - Cult Of Luna - Tides - Souvenir's Young America

myspace.com/nahrayanband

Album: Souvenir's Young America - An Ocean Without Water

Artist: Souvenir's Young America
Album: An Ocean Without Water
Label: Crucial Blast
Year:2007



Tracklist
01.Mars Ascendent
02.Blood Alone Does Not a Father Make
03.Dark Was the Night Cold Was the Ground
04.The Sheltering Sky
05.Invocation In the Caldera
06.Coragyps Atratus (Ego te Absolvo)
Download

You can always count on Crucial Blast to bring something great your way. Whether or not it is a band you're familiar with or not they always managed to put out critical releases that should not be missed.

Souvenir's Young America from Richmond, VA is one of their latest signings and they are nothing short of astonishing. This is their third record and sadly I've missed out on the other two, so I can't compare this to their other work but "An Ocean without Water" needs no comparisons as it is a fantastic release that stands completely on its own two legs.

SYA play an enticing brand of instrumental rock that has a flavor all of its own. Their sound loosely toys with Neurosis style pounding and bombast, while touching down gently in the western sounds of Across Tundras and Earth's "Hex" album, with the instrumental, electronic washes of some of the German greats (Ash Ra Tempel, Can, etc.) rounding out the mix and increasing the psychedelic element greatly. Hell, throw in some pure soundtrack moments too while you are at it.

This is actually quite a difficult record to digest as each track is quite unique from the rest and the running times are all fairly lengthy giving you plenty to come back to.

"Mars Ascendent" gets us started off with an oppressive, droning atmosphere that has intricate tribal drums, layers of distortion and haunting keyboard swells that give you the vibe that something incredibly heavy is coming but then the band delves into shimmering, clean chords that are enhanced by some harmonica playing. The band picks up the pace later in the track led by an increasingly intense drum performance and they rip into a few country tinged riffs that are seeped in light distortion, casting a foreboding tone that leads all the way up to the end of the track.

"Blood Alone does not a Father Make" takes the idea of Earth's "Hex" and spices it up with even deeper country influences in the guitar work that is laid upon a foundation of plodding drums, sparse electronics, harmonica and cello. The track distorts much heavily later and brings a hazy, country/stoner vibe that is pounding and dark but still full of eerie melody. The entire mixture flows together perfectly, literally coming alive out of your speakers with an organic feel that is brooding and captivating.

The slow, droning "Dark was the Night, Cold was the Ground" is a minimalist, drone piece that is nothing but electronics and subtle guitar hysterics that smolder like the embers of a fire and eventually lead up to the mighty "The Sheltering Sky" which is probably the heaviest track on the album. It begins in a fairly subdued, acoustic state but explodes loudly as it moves along with thundering electronic bursts leveling everything in their path as the rest of the instrumentation follows suite. The track settles down in a state of trance-like beauty later on as the subtle arrangements blow by like tumbleweeds in a deserted western town.

"Invocation of the Caldera" is another excellent track that builds slowly and really opens up during its second half with powerful keys and a strong variety in instrumentation. The finale of this track dances nicely between tones that are heavy, chaotic and beautiful all at once as moods swing and shift into all sorts of entrancing arrangements.

The final track, "Coragyps Atratus" could very well have been recorded for some sort of horror soundtrack. It melds their dark, brooding foundation with all types of noise and damaged technology that brings together Neurosis, Earth, Ash Ra Tempel and Goblin into a droning psychosis that had me sucked in from the very first moment.

This is a killer record all around bringing together a vast melting pot of influences both modern and classic. There are snippets of everything from doom, drone, country, noise and krautrock. You aren't likely to pick up a better disc of instrumental soundscapes this whole year. I am going to be doing everything in my power to check out more material from this excellent instrumental outfit based on the power of this recording and I'll be damn sure to catch their live set in Pittsburgh next week. Fans of the instrumental stuff would be a damn fool to miss out on this one.

Souvenir's Young America @ Myspace
Buy it here.