Streaming: Spoiwo - Salute Solitude

Band: Spoiwo
Album: Salute Solitude
Label: Self Released
Year: 2015








Tracklist
01. Disembrace
02. Skin
03. YOS
04. No Kingdom
05. Call Me Home
06. Flare
07. Years Of Silence
Streaming

Spoiwo is a post-rock band from Gdańsk, Poland.
This album is the last I heard for 2015, but I think it will enter my TOP 20 list easily! I'm listening for post-rock for 10 years now and all I have to say is that this album is one of the best I ever heard! They reminded of why I listen to post-rock all these years! It's emotional, it's ethereal, it has great melodies, great cover and it gives you the chills! It deserves to stand among great post-rock bands like Red Sparowes, God Is An Astronaut, This Will Destroy You, Explosions In The Sky etc and it deserves to be heard by everyone! Do yourself a favor and listen to this gem!

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Video: Amia Venera Landscape - Hiraeth (Official Live Video)

Album: Then They Flew - Stable As The Earth Stops Spinning

Band: Then They Flew
Album: Stable As The Earth Stops Spinning
Label: Self Released
Year: 2015







Tracklist
01. La Lys
02. Rooftop
03. Evergreen/Aftermath
04. An Enemy Will Bring Us Together
05. Owls
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Then They Flew is a project from Lisbon, Portugal, featuring five musicians with different backgrounds, united by a shared passion for instrumental rock. Inspired by many of the international bands that define the genre, they gather songs with different moods in which they explore the generous possibilities of "post-rock".

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The Inquisition: 072.Ranges

R A N G E S - The Inquisition

C.J. - Guitar 

Joey - Guitar 

Wilson - Guitar 

Ethan - Bass 

Mark - Drums 

1. How did you came up with the name of the band? 

We live in an area where we have mountain ranges in every direction. Our initial goal as a band was to write music worthy of being a soundtrack to anyone’s adventure through the area we call home and therefore the name Ranges was fitting. 

2. Do you have a standard procedure of creating a song? Do you just jam around or is there a main riff and the track is build up on it? 

C.J. usually begins the writing process with a general skeleton of guitar parts or chord progressions. We have the luxury of having C.J.'s recording studio as both our writing home base and our practice spot. Once C.J. has song skeletons put together he and Mark get together to add drums and demo out ideas that the rest of the guys can take home and write their parts to. A lot of our writing process occurs while we are actually recording. Once again the advantage of having our own recording studio gives us as much time as we need to try new parts, cut out parts, and rebuild songs however we see fit. 

3. What are your influences and what kind of music do you hear when you are at home? 

C.J.: I grew up in the era of 90s alternative radio rock and I think the subtle influences of this time in music carries through in my playing. However, bands like Thursday in the early 2000s really began to shape my writing style. If I had to name bands that have stuck with me since the beginning I'd have to say Thursday, Brand New, Saves The Day, Deftones, and Sigur Ros. Lately I've been getting a lot of inspiration from bands like This Patch of Sky, Rhone, and I/O. 

Wilson: All bands that see the larger picture and strive to create a cohesive and immersive entity under the banner of their band name. 

Ethan: Tool, Queens of the Stone Age, Black Sabbath, Les Claypool, Led Zeppelin, and Waylon Jennings. I listen to a lot of folk like The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Old Crow Medicine Show and The Devil Makes Three. 

Mark: The mountains. All genres. 

Joey: I listen to a lot of different stuff. Currently I've been listening to a lot of Foxing's new record Dealer, Restorations' LP3, Caspian's Dust And Disquiet, and the new Saddest Landscape record, Darkness Forgives is incredible. 

4. Which is the one album you can't live without? 

C.J.: I think Brand New's The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me is one of the most important albums in my catalog. The spiritual struggle in Jesse Lacey's lyrics on this album moved me like nothing I've ever experienced. I even bought a copy of this album for every person in my family for Christmas. 

Wilson: Panopticon by ISIS 

Ethan: Brown Album by Primus 

Mark: Disintegration by The Cure 

Joey: Moon Is Down by Further Seems Forever 

5. What's the first record you've ever bought?

C.J.: Dookie by Green Day 

Wilson: This Time by Dwight Yoakam 

Ethan: Countdown to Extinction by Megadeth 

Mark: Destroyer by Kiss 

Joey: I actually bought Grateful Dead's self titled record on tape when I was like 6 or 7. Just because the art was awesome. They have some cool artwork. The skeleton on the front won me over, but the music was not what I expected it to be. 

6. Name a band that you would like to share the stage or tour with?

C.J.: Sigur Ros is one of my biggest inspirations when it comes to a band’s live show and a band’s overall presentation. From live shows to video footage they are always impressive. Sharing the stage with them and being witness to how they orchestrate things would be incredible. 

Wilson: Dwight Yoakam. 

Ethan: Tool. 

Mark: Pelican. 

Joey: Caspian or This Will Destroy You. 

7. Did the internet and specially the blogs helped to spread your music around the world? Name a place (country) that you were surprised to know your music has reached to? 

Music blogs have been an incredible tool for us in getting our music spread out across the globe. Especially the smaller, lesser known blogs where it's just one person running the whole show. These are the guys who love music enough to put in the hard work of writing for bands without getting much, if anything, in return. We've had the pleasure of working with a couple of great blogs that have really helped us get the Ranges name out. Seeing hits on our Bandcamp from Japan and South Africa thanks to a couple of blogs was pretty cool the first time. We have a lot of respect and admiration for music bloggers. 

8. Do you support the idea of bandcamp where fans can decide the price or services like Spotify?

Absolutely. At this stage in the game, getting our music out to as many people as possible is the ultimate goal. If giving our work to people for free helps us garner a fan who will turn around and buy our next album or a t-shirt then the initial investment was totally worth it. We're not at the stage yet where we can complain about the amount of money we are losing from file sharing or download sites. Honestly, we don't ever want to be one of those bands caught up in squeezing out as many tenths of a penny as they can from their fanbase. 

9. Where do you see yourselves in 5 years? 

Still doing exactly what we are doing now. Hopefully still eager to write the next album and push our concepts a little further and deeper. And, if we play our cards right, opening for Dwight Yoakam. 

10. Is the artwork of an album important nowadays in the digital era? 

We think so. All of our music is written and released around a concept. The album artwork is a vital part of this process, especially in an instrumental band where your artwork and song titles are the only visual indicators of what you are trying to portray in your music. We still believe strongly in the physical release as well. Growing up, Tuesdays were the best day of the week because it meant going down to the local record store, buying a new release, digging through the booklet and actually feeling the physical pages. These were, and still are, important aspects to the music. We all enjoyed this and want to keep releasing our music on physical mediums where applicable and will always need artwork. 

11. What is you favorite album cover? 

C.J.: In Reverie by Saves The Day.

Wilson: Whipped Cream & Other Delights by Herb Alpert’s Tijuana Brass.

Ethan: Lateralus by Tool.

Mark: Black Sabbath’s self titled debut.

Joey: This is a hard question and I had to think really hard about it. I'm going to have to say Pianos Become The Teeth’s Old Pride. All their albums have awesome art. 

12. It seems that a lot of people are turning on vinyl again. Why do you think that is and which is your preferable media format? 

With how quickly technology is evolving the nostalgia and necessary time and care needed to play a record can be pretty comforting. Perhaps there is something to be said about the lack of authenticity with current digital mediums and therefore an “archaic” format, like vinyl, creates a more tactile experience for listeners. For awhile it seemed like it was cool to be the kid who listened to vinyl but now a lot of bands are turning back to it and vinyl pressing facilities are backed up for months. It's good for the music industry, to slow down and center itself for a minute or two. Cassettes are back too, which is cool. Every medium has it's advantages and disadvantages and your music sounds different on each of them which makes planning your musical approach for your desired medium a fun exploration. 

13. What's the most vivid story or moment as a band? 

Our first show is definitely our most memorable moment as a band. It was really important to us to have our first show be as high of caliber as possible. We played our 24 minute piece Night & Day in a Masonic Temple here in Bozeman, MT, and had a visual experience projected behind us. This required us to play to a click in order for all the visual changes of the video to line up with all the dynamics of our music. It was one of those things where if we get off by one beat in one spot, the entire show would be jeopardized. Thankfully everything went flawlessly and getting the chance to watch back through video footage captured of the evening was pretty surreal. The reception we received from those in attendance of the music and the visual aspects of the night were pretty remarkable.

Ranges recently released their incredible single "If I Were The Devil".

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EP: Blueneck - Christmas

Band: Blueneck
Album: Christmas EP
Label: Self Released
Year: 2015








Tracklist
01. I Believe in Father Christmas ...
02. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
03. Twelve Days
04. Blue Christmas
05. Driving Home
06. Silent Night
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For some reason Blueneck's "Scars Of The Midwest" is an album I always listen to around Christmas. Probably because I was listening to it on a New Year's eve and continued to listen to it after the year changed. Maybe it's because Blueneck are punctual to release their "christmasy" EP every year. Either way enjoy this EP with Blueneck's regards!

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Video: Message To Bears - You Are A Memory

Album: d_rradio & Lianne Hall - Making Spaces

Band: d_rradio & Lianne Hall
Album: Making Spaces
Label: Self Released
Year: 2015








Tracklist
01. The Moral At The End
02. Under Water
03. Stormy Weather
04. Full On
05. Berlin Winter
06. Dressing Up
07. Up
08. Making Spaces
09. Spring
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d_rradio (deathrowradio) teamed up with Lianne Hall and her amazing voice to release this, different than their usual style, album. Sometimes it reminds me of Portishead​ and sometime of Björk. The perfect soundtrack for a cloudy day!

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Streaming: So Hideous - Laurestine

Band: So Hideous
Album: Laurestine
Label: Prosthetic Records
Year: 2015








Tracklist
01. Yesteryear
02. Here After
03. Relinquish
04. The Keepsake
05. Falling Cedars
06. The True Pierce
07. A Faint Whisper
Streaming

From NYC, So Hideous combines intense, blackened hardcore with orchestral elements to create a unique blend of music that has been called a "raging force of post-black metal; frothing with shoegaze and oozing with tortured melancholy.

Having formed in 2008 and with two EPs and a full-length under their belts, Brooklyn’s orchestral post-metal outfit, So Hideous, are set to release their most ambitious offering to date with their seven song conceptual opus, Laurestine.

Founded by Brandon Cruz (guitar), his intent was to score soundtracks to films that have yet to be made and sites Arvo Part, Ennio Morricone and Beethoven as his main influences. After many lineup changes, Brandon eventually enlisted his brother Chris (bass/vocals) and childhood friends Etienne Vazquez (guitar) and Danny Moncada (drums) to round out the group.

It’s safe to say that So Hideous write music a little differently than most bands of their genre. Each song starts off being written on piano with the orchestration built in next. The guitars, bass and drums fall into place only after the orchestral foundation is complete.

The band recorded Laurestine at The Wild Arctic Recording Studio in Portsmouth, NH with producer Dean Baltulonis (Brand New, The Explosion, Sick of it All). Orchestral elements were recorded a few weeks later at Little Field Performance & Art Space in Brooklyn, NY by Chris Montgomery (Mumford And Sons, Lily Allen, Florence And The Machine).

For Laurestine, a thirty-piece orchestra was enlisted for the album. Assembled by the band members, the orchestra is known as The First Light Orchestra, which consists of brass and string sections and also includes a small choir. The result is a more dynamic interplay between the band and orchestra with both aspects treated not as support or accouterments, but fully formed expressions able to exist without the other.

To compliment the musical achievement that is Laurestine, So Hideous brought on Italian illustrator/comic artist Daniel Serra (Shining SW) to handle the elaborate album artwork. Serra, who painted the artwork using his watercolor technique, had the following to say, “It was very interesting to work on this piece, first because it was a particular format, very long and narrow and then because the band provided a preliminary sketch with very specific guidelines, so I had to combine my style with an old classic style that it could remember painters like El Greco.”

It has been said that following death, the brain is active for seven minutes, one’s life flashes before one’s eyes and the ascent towards the afterlife begins. This is narrative behind Laurestine. The number 7 factors heavily into the fabric of the overall album as the number serves as a constant reminder of the seven last minutes of life as they pass. With seven total tracks, Laurestine is written in 7/4 and 7/8 time signatures with recurring motifs of that meter found throughout.

“The album starts off with our character, who is simply known as "man,” dying at the opening piano notes of Yesteryear,” states Brandon Cruz. “He then begins his journey through an altered sensory landscape where he first notices a laurestine flower and hears a woman's voice. Intrigued, he follows the voice.”

Laurestine or Viburnum Tinus flowers in the winter months and endures in the harshest conditions. It is considered a deathless flower and is also the name of the woman guiding “man” throughout the album. Brandon further explains, “Laurestine leads “man” through a series of distant memories, fragmented life events juxtaposed with experiences well beyond the scope of his understanding.”

So Hideous’ unique approach to songwriting and attention to the album’s overall theme is what truly separates them from the countless other band’s of the post-whatever genre. Many critics have taken note of this, giving high praise to the band’s debut full-length, Last Poem/First Light. Originally self-released, such admiration towards the album lead to Los Angeles based Prosthetic Records signing the band and reissuing the album in the spring of 2014. Tours and festivals followed and towards the end of the year, Brandon sat himself down in front of his piano and Laurestine began to take shape.

Seven minutes reflecting on one’s life and preparing for the afterlife doesn’t seem like a lot of time. Truth be told, it’s a towering and a beautiful concept, one that the Laurestine captures perfectly to form.

We closed our eyes and slept...

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EP: Strategic Silence - Only Nightmares

Band: Strategic Silence
Album: Only Nightmares EP
Label: Self Released
Year: 2015








Tracklist
01. I
02. II
03. III
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Another amazing EP by Strategic Silence! Great melodies accompanied with some creepy elements, therefore the nightmares on the title...This could be a soundtrack of a horror movie or game.

Every sound will continue until it is punctuated with silence. It is this strategically placed pause that organizes sound into an art. With silence we summon love and hate, peace and war, confusion and understanding. By stopping a sound something much more is created. Music. Strategic Silence.

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Video: Caspian - Rioseco (Last.fm Lightship95 Series)

The Inquisition: 071.Capillaries

1. How did you came up with the name of the band?

Coming up with our bands name was a collective effort. We tossed around potential band names to each other in between break times during rehearsal for the first couple of months of forming the band. One night our bass player said "hey we should name our band Capillaries". Everyone seemed to like how the existence of Capillaries connects and helps nurture the human body. Music also nurtures and connects people and memories. In a way the creation of music plays a role somewhat similar to those tiny blood cells. So the band name "Capillaries" stuck with us ever since. 

2. Do you have a standard procedure of creating a song? Do you just jam around or is there a main riff and the track is build up on it?

Typically when we write our music we just jam out ideas. Normally it doesn't take too long to find an idea we all think could grow into a song. We use the idea and build a song structure around it and then just refine it over time. 

3. What are your influences and what kind of music do you hear when you are at home?

We have a lot of influences that come together to make our sound. As far as influences in the genre of music we play we all really enjoy bands like Mono, God Speed you Black Emperor, This will destroy you, Dick Dale and Tides Of Man. 

4. Which is the one album you can't live without?

Out of all the albums I own I don't think I could live without No Place by A Lot Like Birds. Is one of the greatest albums ever created and no matter how many times I revisit it, I find new things to appreciate. 

5. What's the first record you've ever bought?

The Monkeys Greatest Hits Record. I was seven years old when I purchased it at the store with my sister. 

6. Name a band that you would like to share the stage or tour with?

I would love to play with God Speed You Black Emperor or Tides of Man, or Mono. Those bands were a massive influence on me. 

7. Did the internet and specially the blogs helped to spread your music around the world? Name a place (country) that you were surprised to know your music has reached to?

Our new single Seventy Five Down went viral in Taiwan, Canada and Russia solely due to the fact that a number of sites and blogs have mentioned us and we really do appreciate everyone's enthusiasm and kind words over the years. 

8. Do you support the idea of bandcamp where fans can decide the price or services like Spotify?

I am completely open to the idea of those mediums. Its about the music, not the money. we just want our music to be heard and enjoyed. 

9. Where do you see yourselves in 5 years?

Hopefully on tour. Just seeing, laughing and reacting to the world together as friends that just happen to play in a band together. 

10. Is the artwork of an album important nowadays in the digital era?

The art work is still really important because when the listener has the album cover come up on their musical device it sets the tone for the album/song. 

11. What is you favorite album cover?

Probably the album cover and art work on "Diary" (Sunny Day Real Estate).

12. It seems that a lot of people are turning on vinyl again. Why do you think that is and which is your preferable media format?

Vinyl is becoming popular again because it is a very entertaining medium. The fad is more of a result of the social aspect that comes with vinyl though in my opinion. The collection of vinyl is a conversation starter and allows people to connect with other people about music they love. I personally just listen to music on my phone because of how easy it is. 

13. What's the most vivid story or moment as a band?

Probably the first day of rehearsal when everyone meet each other for the very first time. Everyone was shy and nervous with a touch of skepticism that day so we just let our instruments do all of the talking and break the ice. I'm pretty sure we all left rehearsal that night thinking "hey this might actually work".

Capillaries recently released the first single from their forthcoming album "Kenopsia". Be sure to check it out!

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Album: Inward Oceans - Paths From Home

Band: Inward Oceans
Album: Paths From Home
Label: Deep Elm Records
Year: 2015








Tracklist
01. Paths From Home
02. Homecoming
03. Distant Lights
04. Amelioration
05. Consequences
06. A Road Inside
07. Field Of White
08. Sisters
09. Skydancer
10. Saved
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Inward Oceans is a post-rock band from Vancouver, Canada.

Beautifully moving from start to finish, "Paths From Home" is a powerful yet delicate masterwork of cinematic proportion. But unlike most other post-rock outfits, Inward Oceans uses piano rather than guitars to facilitate rhythm, timbre and texture. Displaying a well-refined ability to elicit emotion with the seemingly simplest of notes and chord progressions, each track on this phenomenal debut tells a mesmerizing story that unfolds organically in your ears. But make no mistake, songcrafting at this level requires rarefied talent. Combining just the right amount of ambient, tonal and spatial elements to the resonating strings creates a sonic depth experience worthy of headphone listening. An album about finding the place where you know you are meant to be, whether that's in your head, your heart or your home, "Paths From Home" is a dramatic journey of the senses. This is music that humbles you and connects you to an awareness of inner emotion.

“I wrote part of the arrangements in the living room on an old family piano. I got scratch tracks down as I watched out the front window. The river valley descends down from the front of the house and the autumn weather had set in. Although across the river the ground is constantly being torn up by heavy industry vehicles, there's a significant amount of greenery surrounding the waste they leave. It creates this sort of marred beauty that I've grown incredibly attached to over the years. As I watched my daughters play in the front room together and heard the sounds of a meal being prepared in the kitchen, I let the moment sink deep in to my heart. I honestly didn't know what I would play when I put my fingers to the keys, but every time, without fail, a melody unique to my ears, came forth. It felt as if a soundtrack was playing through me. Nearly all our songs were birthed in this manner. It is my hope that others will be moved by these themes to life, drawing their attention internally as they come to appreciate their own connectivity to this world of ours,” says pianist and percussionist Bobby Kuhl.

Bassist and guitarist Justin Carter continues, “Paths From Home is unique in how it was recorded. We took our recording microphones into the community. Five separate recording scenarios were used throughout the album, from outdoor set-ups, to an old vintage piano in a vintage home, to the more traditional soundproof studio room. We also used one of the outdoor pianos that Vancouverites have placed in and around in city. This same piano has been used by great recording artists such as Juno Award winner Murray Porter and Keys to the Streets. With piano based music, we find it’s often either very classical sounding (with no effects) or heavily effected. We wanted to find balance between the two. Our inspiration comes from special moments in time, nature and the city skyline at night. It’s those moments when you're removed from the business of life and able to breathe and reflect. This is the place where we want to take listeners with our music.”

“Our name is both delicate and strong. ‘Ocean’ describes this idea well, and in the literal sense was meaningful as we all came to Vancouver to be closer to the ocean. It brought us together in a way. ‘Inward’ describes the reflective, emotional tone of our music. It describes the thoughts and feelings that we hold, sometimes very deep, within ourselves. This is where our music is born...from introspection and contemplative thought about our experiences. The human experience creates a vast ocean within, so to speak, made up of feelings, thoughts, and memories. These deep aspects of ourselves often need to be rustled out. Here we chose song to make that happen. We chose the cover photo because it represents the vision of our band. To use a metaphor, the glacier represents the emotions, thoughts, and feelings that are often frozen up inside of us. The sun represents music. Music can melt frozen emotions into a moving, life-giving force. Music allows us to feel things we wouldn’t have otherwise felt. That has always been the goal of our writing,” says Bobby.

For fans of Lights & Motion, U137, Carly Comando, Hammock, Helios, Sigur Ros.

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Album: Valsaland - Fängelset

Band: Valsaland
Album: Fängelset
Label: Self Released
Year: 2015








Tracklist
01. Leka
02. Dödens Ambiens
03. Ensamheten
04. Lilla Vän Jag Vill Bo I En Husvagn
05. Jag Vill Ju Sova
06. Hennings Sagoland
07. Mollgång
08. Fåån
09. Viide
10. Caelum
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Valsaland has released their debut album "Fängelset" (literal translation: the Prison) on 30th November. 

Valsaland is a Swedish Stockholm based music project. There are 29 musicians (8-70 yo) playing on the album, under direction of Goblin Mikkanen. The music is an experimental mix of different genres like psych, post-rock, ambient, dream-pop and indie, with rock band set up accompanied by brass, wind, string and choir.

Five music videos are made for the debut album "Fängelset". Six international awards are won for three of them in USA, UK, Italy, Spain and Mexico in 2015. Valsaland's "Fängelset" is released on the internet by the own label Esojoule Arts.

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News: The sound of H.P. Lovecraft's "The Colour Out Of Space" by The Dunwich Orchestra

Dark drone meets horror classic: “The Dunwich Orchestra” accompanies the horror comic picture show “The Colour Out Of Space” with musical gloominess. Slow-paced, gloomy and grave: This best describes “The Colour Out Of Space”, H.P. Lovecraft's short, cruel horror story which comics artist Andreas Hartung restages as a dark episodic picture show. “The Dunwich Orchestra” creates the atmospheric instrumental music to accompany Hartung’s illustrations: Their mixture of experimental and grave drone, americana and post-rock sounds is the perfect backdrop for this beautifully gloomy world of images.

“The Colour out of Space” is a forceful horror comic experiment full of darkness and devoid of words and acceleration. 

The musicians crept through dark cellars, forests and across open fields to capture noises and sounds that embody the strange and menacing elements of nature. “The Dunwich Orchestra” uses modulated white noise to musically recreate humanity’s complete forsakenness in a merciless universe, a theme that is characteristic for Lovecraft’s stories. This noise incorporates every perceivable frequency from which the musicians carve ghostlike sounds as if they were creating wooden sculptures.

Realization

Hartung adapts the story in five parts which are between three and twelve minutes in length. Each chapter will be published online.

The first Chapter is online

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Video: This Will Destroy You - Mother Opiate