The last Post Rock Post entry was in May and back then I said we'd only run this column when we have something to cover. Lo and behold, we have something to cover! I find it interesting that, more than any other genre I listen to, post-rock seems to move in waves, both for me and for the release schedule in general. Maybe it's because it is, at the end of the day, a pretty small genre, certainly not as big as something like death or heavy metal. And so there are less bands and less albums, so sometimes you get months without albums that really justify coverage.
But I suspect it's also something about me and the intensely emotional experience I have when listening to post-rock. It's not music I simply throw on because it tends to have a very powerful impact on me; I feel very strongly when post-rock hits just right or maybe it's post-rock that makes me feel strongly. Who knows. Regardless, that means that months can go by where I barely listen to anything from the genre and months when it's all that can scratch the emotional itch that I am looking for.
These last two months the tide has been in strong and I've been listening to a lot of post-rock and it looks like Trent has been as well. Therefore, we present to you, once again, Post Rock Post.
Long live.
-Eden Kupermintz
Oh Hiroshima - All Things Shining
It's been a while since I've fallen in love with an album as deeply as I have with All Things Shining. Elsewhere on the blog (and further into the universe of content I make, like on the Death // Sentence podcast) I've written about this wave of grunge-y, shoegaze, post-rock albums we've been getting; Towers of Jupiter, Mountaineer, and RENEWER are some of the more recent examples. But, to be honest, All Things Shining has a quality to it that I just can't put my finger on which sets it apart from the rest of them, some sort of grandiose but still "turned away" attitude to its sound and atmosphere.
Actually, as I'm writing this and listening to the album in the background, I have one comparison to make for Oh Hiroshima's release that I wouldn't for any of the other albums I've cited: Junius. Remember Junius? Once upon a time, there wasn't one person in the post-whatever scene who didn't know that name. They were the promise for post-rock and metal, set to inherit the throne of the great bands of the late 2000's. In a way, they did, releasing some of the best emotional and scintillating post-rock of their time. They also captured the melancholy of post-rock and metal in a very unique way, both expansive and intimate at the same time.
Which is exactly how All Things Shining sounds to me. There are moments of derision and big, outward facing movements (like on the opening track) and then moments where the band are simply describing, and composing, a moment of life, a perspective on the world (like on my favorite track, "Swans In a Field"). Each movement feels as essential as the next and, by some magic, the two even fit together, giving the album a cohesive and very emotionally complex feeling. And that's maybe what sets this album apart from the rest that I've cited, except for maybe Towers of Jupiter, who are experts at this kind of subtlety as well. The other releases channel the sense of melancholy and etherealness that this blend of genres is so good for. But All Things Shining goes beyond that, articulating the kind of sad optimism and tired verve that I so relate to. Whether you feel the same way, this is perhaps my favorite album in the post spaces released this year and a damn strong contender when 2024 comes to a close.
-EK
The Supervoid Choral Ensemble - Live From the Downwhen Terminus
The Supervoid Choral Ensemble is a new project from Ben Sharp, better known as the solo-instrumentalist behind the influential post-math-djent of Cloudkicker. Supervoid finds him teaming up with some awesome talent in Vincent Rosebloom, drummer of progressive screamo-gone-noise-rock darlings Gospel. The result is about what would be expected, for better or worse? You could argue this is just Cloudkicker with better drumming. Which is not a bad thing, however more than the EP released last year, they’re finding their own sound and identity. Yet, the prominence of Vincent’s contribution can’t be understated. For many artists in that niche of colliding heavy syncopation Cloudkicker operates in where the guitar itself can become percussive, the drumming sometimes feels like an afterthought. Meanwhile on Supervoid, that jazzy-prog background from Gospel shines through, to the point where on parts of songs like “Track 7” the drumming becomes more of a lead instrument than anything, and the more forward presence in the mix augments that. There’s just insane fills and subtle intricacies throughout and you find something new standing out on every subsequent listen. He really nails the understanding of when to do more with less, but also how to do more with more, and it elevates this far beyond feeling like just another new Cloudkicker album.
Going back to the songwriting, there is something a little more ‘jam’ or well, progressive about about the structure and flow of things. While still full of playful grooves and stuttering polyrhythmic math riffs, it’s very free-flowing and untethered. Partly removed from the acclaimed instrumental post-rocky djent of Beacons and Discovery, the guitar work here is still recognizably Cloudkicker, with plenty of his signature style of up-tempo walls of distorted texture, harmonizing with riffs that seem to build on themselves and collapse back in unexpected and satisfying grooves. Overall the production is on the grittier side compared to what we’re typically used to from Ben, not unlike the post-metal sludginess of Intronaut, whom he collaborated with for the only tour Cloudkicker has taken part in back in 2014.
Live From the Downwhen is very loosely a post-rock album. There’s plenty of modern prog metal and heavier math rock here, but fans of the more experimental and rhythmically complex side of post-rock of bands like Tortoise should appreciate this. This album finds significant growth from the short self-titled EP released last year, but it’s hard not to feel like this is just the beginning of something special. This isn’t quite a masterpiece, but as these two talented musicians further their writing chemistry and connection, the potential for something really really great is certainly there.
-TB
God Is An Astronaut - Embers
Like many post-rock fans who got into the genre in the 00s, God is an Astronaut was a formative band for me. All is Violent, All is Bright and Far From Refuge especially tapped into something that you could lose yourself in. It was existential and doused in melancholy, the lush synth tones and simple piano melodies were heart-stirring and contrasted with effective layers of heaviness for something that felt powerful and moving. In the years since, I’ve continued to go into their new albums with cautious optimism. The formula has remained largely unchanged, but the delivery just rarely touched me in the same way. Embers is now the 8th album they’ve released since Far From Refuge, and for the first time on a mostly consistent basis, that feeling has returned. The balance of their patented spacey synth tones and gentle piano riffs feels more effective in getting the most out of them on an emotional level. And while the heavier moments here could use some memorable riffing, they serve a purpose for a more dynamic sound that elevates the album beyond the sum of its parts. Again, if you’re expecting something novel or a big swing at a shift in sound, this is not it. What it is though, is their best effort to date at replicating the magic they had in those early albums, and at this point that’s more than welcome.
-TB
Ramper - Solo postres
Folk-infused post-rock often has the ability to feel uniquely spiritual, and often funereal in tone. We’ve seen this dating back with the GYBE off-shoot A Silver Mt. Zion, and in more recent years from groups like caroline. The latest standout addition to this niche comes from Spanish group Ramper, and their sophomore effort Solo postres. Ramper particularly embraces the slow and somber approach, garnering some slowcore tags for its subdued energy and lush atmospheres. A blend of hushed vocals, entirely sung in Spanish harp along bringing out a poetic and hypnotic nature to the seven tracks largely running over ten-minutes in length. Melodies soar through turbulent currents of pastoral sunny joy to staggering moments of apocalyptic dread. The guitar-work itself fluctuates between acoustic passages and heavier distortion, flanked by synthesizers, cellos, horns, and woodwinds for a dynamic and engrossing listening experience. Definitely one for those open to the eclectic and weird side of post-rock, of which you’ll struggle to find a stronger release this year.
-TB
Seahorses - wave destroyer
Seahorses are a little post-rock band from Maine, who have quietly and consistently been pumping out tunes for a decade now. Their new EP wave destroyer is four tracks of digestible guitar-centric instrumental post-rock perfect for reminiscing on a sunny commute or a stroll along a beach. Each track is full of sun-kissed nostalgic riffs full of post-punk’s bittersweet moodiness and waves of reverb, while the bass hums warmly beneath. The production is not too unlike what you would find from a coldwave band like Molchat Doma, giving a slightly retro form of urban melancholy mixed with a southern surf-iness for a compelling dynamic. A great little listen from start to finish that never overstays its welcome and leaves you coming back for more.
-TB