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Explosions in the Sky - Welcome, Ghosts
Explosions’ sound is a dreamy continuum that assimilates so well into your day to day activities you might only notice it during the peaks of each song.
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Tortoise - A Grape Dope
Thank goodness for Chicago and Thrill Jockey Records. A band that upon first hearing pretty much changed my life, Tortoise remains one of the most unique and under-appreciated groups out there. They are difficult to describe, but I would say instrumental post-[electro]punk is pretty accurate. And after 20+ years, they still tear it up live with 2 drummers, 2 sets of vibraphones, and a lot of instrument swapping. If you ever have the chance to catch their show, do not pass it up.
Students of music and those into electronica and trip-hop will take to this quickly. Those with a more ‘rock’ sense, however, should check out their records TNT and Standards for a more reeled in, melodic sound. Their website is cool too; check out the different interactive headers on each page.
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65daysofstatic - I Swallowed Hard, Like I Understood
Most of the world has been listening to glitchy post-rock quartet 65daysofstatic’s debut The Fall of Math since 2004, but for whatever reason, they never released it in the US. Lucky for you, it’s finally going to be out on Monotreme records sometime in March. They’ll also be releasing a brand new EP called Dance Parties on April 29th.
They’re also touring Europe right now, with dates in France, Spain, and the UK to look forward to in the next month, and a US tour with The Cure planned for May and June.
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Cougar - Pulse Conditioner
With acts like Cougar, it’s more about the live act than the album. Nevertheless, Law is a great album that’s perfect to relax to. It’s a purely instrumental album, that layers beautiful, downbeat melodies on top of their complex guitar loops, creating dense, organic soundscapes. Imagine a slower, more subtle Explosions in the Sky, with just a tiny bit of Ratatat to give it some punch. Pitchfork described it as a “soundtrack to a personalized nightscape”, and I don’t think anyone could top that description.
