Sky Flying By - How Much More Difficult Will This Get? (320)

I remember hearing this album for the first time. I was still getting into instrumental music and still reeling from my introduction to Skinny Fists. A whole new world had been opened up to me, and I was all but spamming the words 'post-rock' to everyone I could. After I started following some blogs (most notably Shoegazeralive) I realized that there was an incomprehensible amount of similar music that was all in the same vein and yet, in one way or another, different. Variations on a sound and style that I was completely enamored with. 3 months later I had already downloaded so much music that I felt overwhelmed.

I delved into literally about 50 different albums over the course of that month and even with the fascination I had for the genre this specific album stuck out in my mind. I don't think that I can do justice to this artist, so I'll let the last.fm artist description speak for itself.

"Sky Flying By is a solo music project out of Boston Massachusetts that employs the use of traditional rock music instrumentation to create all instrumental, ambient pieces that fuse electronic elements with what is typically referred to as post-rock."

The album is mellow but a masterpiece in my eyes. Although you might not develop the special love for this album that I did, I think you'll enjoy this, assuming you enjoy this style of music. It's not your typical crescendocore but regardless I think you'll find the atmospheric blends at the very least interesting, and hopefully captivating.

Download the album here.
Buy it here.

Radiohead - In Rainbows (FLAC)

In Rainbows is, without a doubt, Radiohead's most intimate record. Not only is the instrumentation extremely sparse, often limited to a single instrument and a drum loop, it is comprised entire of love songs. The clear Warp Records influence here, which is even more prominent than on Idioteque or those other quasi-trip-hop Radiohead songs, is what makes In Rainbows stand on its own so well. It is, for the most part, Radiohad shrugging off their experimentalism and grunginess for a more user-friendly, outward inwardness. Yorke's voice is as fragile and isolated as usual, but, as was not seen in Kid A, he seems to be making a genuine attempt to confide in the listener; to seek comfort from them.

Get it in FLAC here.

King Crimson - Larks' Tongues in Aspic (320)

To those accustomed to the "romantic prog" style of KC's first few albums, the overall sound of LTIA might come as a bit of a surprise. From the delicate and exotic ambient opening minutes to the loud instrumental freakout at the end, this is about as prog as you can get without veering off into avant-garde territory. It's heavy, it's jazzy, and most of all, it works. There is a reason it is hailed as one of the greatest albums from the classic prog era: its eclectic style has influenced many experimental bands today (many even say it's proto-prog-metal, you'll know why when you hear it). It may take some effort to fully appreciate Fripp and co.'s genius, but it's well worth it.

Just makin' EEEEASY MONEYYYYY!

Here We Go Magic - Pidgeons (320)

Here We Go Magic's second release, Pidgeons, from 2010. I highly encourage anyone who has the opportunity to see this band live to do so.

Download.

Here We Go Magic - Here We Go Magic (V0)

I first saw Here We Go Magic at Austin City Limits in 2009. It was early morning, the 'Dillo Dirt was turning into what basically amounted to sewage and manure, and a fine mist permeated the air. Rain had poured the night previously, and more was yet to come. It was around 10 o' clock a.m. when they took the stage, before or after The Dodos and Suckers (I can hardly remember). Luke Temple stood in between four other people, chanting and yelling, murmuring and gesturing to the crowd. It was early, I'd never heard of Here We Go Magic before that day, and the stench in the air from the surfacing fertilizer was extremely, horribly distracting.

Following that appearance, I let Here We Go Magic stir in my brain a little bit, taking in their jangly guitars and egg shakers, their DIY musical attitude and clear sense of community between each other. I grew to like Here We Go Magic in the months following, not just musically but conceptually, because these seemed like people I could genuinely get along with. I've always been a fan of that sort of psychedelic folk rock aesthetic; it seems to attract the best musicians.

The second time I saw Here We Go Magic, I went prepared. Several hours of listening to their music, in various states of consciousness, and I had familiarized myself so much with their music that even Jen Turner's subliminal lyricisms seemed clear to me. Temple and company began playing at around midnight, and continued on for an hour and a half. I can honestly say that that hour and change was one of the high points of my year. Here We Go Magic put on a brilliant show, fulfilling the psychedelic promises made on their last two records and going even a step further. My mind was completely blown away by the fuzzy rhythms and textures, the seeming communion of souls practiced by the band members, the drones and warping synthesizers. It was incredible; greasy college students stood who had previously stood about drinking overpriced beer earlier in the night were, by the time Here We Go Magic played their finale, Collector, shoving, jumping, and crowdsurfing just like everyone else in the room. The floor devolved into chaos; what happened that night can only be described as moshing to psychedelic folk music.

Here We Go Magic's eponymous debut is a record that grows with you. It takes effort to delve into thoroughly, and you have to appreciate the band as something created from intimacy. It is also a record that will reward you for your investments, because the kind of love that Luke Temple puts into his music is something that few musicians are capable of.

Everything is possible.

The Samuel Jackson Five - Easily Misunderstood (V0)

For many people, the term "post-rock" means long songs with minimal instrumentation (maybe with some strings or horns thrown in) that build to rousing, heart-wrenching crescendos. Many people get the impression that this is all that post-rock is about, having heard giants of the genre like GY!BE and A Silver Mt. Zion. However, there is much, much more to the genre than that. The Samuel Jackson Five plays a much different kind of post-rock: there is still a prevalent sense of dynamics, but they have much more in common with fusion/prog bands like The Mahavishnu Orchestra and Soft Machine than any type of classical music.

Their second album, "Easily Misunderstood", is in my opinion not only their best album, but one of my favorite albums ever. There is great songwriting on display here, coupled with jazzy, infectious grooves. If you're looking for a fun, entertaining post-rock album to listen to, look no further.

(Also, their band name is awesome.)

The Envy Corps - Dwell (V2)

So many bands go through my hard drive, it seems. Anyone who's ever been serious about collecting music knows that sometimes we make investments in albums that we might not enjoy like we thought we would, or even worse, ones we wind up regretting. I have had my share of disappointments, as well. But bands like The Envy Corps and albums like Dwell make the up & down experience of discovering music worth it.

When I first got this album, I listened to it for days. Literally, it was the only thing I listened to. Sonically lush, catchy hooks and intelligent fantastic lyrics put this release at the top of my 2008 list. This isn't a review, it's a recommendation. This isn't an easy way to download free music, this is a way of introducing people to a band that deserves attention and support. This is independent music at its finest.

They also recently had a song featured in Entourage as well as a song in the movie Run Fatboy Run, so they are finally getting some well-deserved attention.

You can hear the first song on the album (as well as a few others) on youtube here and you can download the album here.

If you find you like it, you can buy the album here.