Exxasens-Eleven Miles review

This post sort of fits into our occasional randomness bits, where we like to explore new music by tagging a certain band we have been following.  This has evolved into a fun little series as well.  Where this post differs is that I will be offering a full album review of the new release I have discovered.

Exxasens has an interesting band name.  I am often not a fan of gibberish band names, but for some reason the letter 'x' says hard core.  If then, your band name includes back-to-back 'x's, it screams 'fear me' from the top of some place very high.  I actually kind of dig that.  That said, this band's name is probably not complete gibberish and has a very real, easily definable origin.  Though I'm not hept to such an origin, I stand by my comment that I kind of like this band's name.

This band brings a certain sound quality that is similar in some respects to If These Trees Could Talk, but instead of wallowing in screeching guitar leads bent on scrambling the brain of the average listener, Exxasens add a certain flair of mainstream hard rock and even some metal riffing from time to time.  This makes for a very diverse listener that had me wondering a time or two if my iTunes player had suddenly switched to playing Pelican.  Don't get me wrong--indeed Exxasens doesn't sound much like Pelican at all, except for the some proggy moments scattered throughout the album. 

One of the latter tracks even introduces a sludgy, repeating riff and rhythm without so much as hinting at doom.  I'm not much into sludge metal, but I found myself enjoying that track just as much as all the others.

As with most post-rock albums, there are no vocals to speak of, unless you count the understated, barely audible spoken word segment on the final track of this album.  In retrospect, the beginning of the last track seems to qualify as filler material, but the band makes up for it by concluding with a cascading crescendo that is both uplifting and crushing.

I downloaded this release after listening to half of the first song, because I knew I had found something I would enjoy.  In my mind, this is right up there with the wonderful If These Trees Could Talk album, but also showcases something more, something few post-rock bands dare to touch on.  Below is the full album stream, courtesy of the Exxasens bandcamp page.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!

If These Trees Could Talk-Red Forest review

Greetings, readers and listeners!  We hope you have enjoyed the holiday, whether it be Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or whatever other holiday you chose to commemorate.  If you don't celebrate any such holiday, then happy antipathy month!

Now that we're back from our mini vacation, it is time to review some more albums that I missed in 2012.  Today's color is from If These Trees Could Talk.  This is a newer Ohio band that is a promising talent in the post-rock genre.

"Red Forest" is in some ways a deviation on the standard post rock sound in that it fuses elements from both ambient and metal to create a unique sound that cannot be justly described by simply name-dropping other bands.  In some ways, "Red Forest" is similar to later works from Godspeed You! Black Emperor and in other ways comparable to Monochromie and Ana Never. 

With these release, ITTCT incorporate heavy low-end bass, off-kilter drum patters, and distorted, driving riffs into the usual looped and stretched guitar melodies and delicate atmospheric electronics.  This is a defining trait of this band.  Drawing influences from Pelican, ITTCT bring a brilliant wave of progressive metal riffing to the front of the mix.  This effect is neither drowned by nor overpowering to the post rock elements, which plays a fascinating role in defining the sound and emotion this band expresses. 

Throughout its nine tracks, "Red Forest" varies in both tempo and approach.  This content is what makes this album such a rewarding listen.  Don't ignore this album if you dislike metal, but also give it a listen if your musical tastes are not in tune with post rock.  This album is a non genre-specific listening experience and can be enjoyable to listeners who follow a variety of musical styles.  Check this album out via the full stream, courtesy of If These Trees Could Talk's bandcamp page.  Thanks for listening and enjoy!

Isis-Pliable Foe

We have another random look at new music that is new to me today.  Scream all you want, but until now I had never paid much attention to Isis.  All I can say is two words: Perception. Changed.  Isis is an American post-metal band formed in 1997.  For some reason, I never really had much desire to look into their music.  I knew about them, sure, but I had just never listened to any of their music.  Isis disbanded in 2011, but is gearing up to release a new 'rarities' album called "Temporal." 

The style of music combines clean vocal singing with progressive, acoustic instrumentation with bouts of heavy guitar distortion and heavy drums.  If you like progressive metal, then there is a good chance you also like post-metal.  Post-metal is a sub genre that is not exactly loaded with great talent.  I know of Pelican and Isis so far.  As I have only heard one song from Isis, I can't positively say that I like Isis better, but the one song I have heard is very good. 

This rare track is called Pliable Foe. Check out the video here and let me know what you think.  Do you think I should look into to Isis' back catalog?  Enjoy!

Ataraxia-Llyr (2010) reveiw

There seem to be plenty of bands out there who share the name Ataraxia, not to mention several albums that are either entitled Ataraxia or at least include the word.  In fact there is a new Pelican album which uses that word.

My first experience with Ataraxia was a last.fm play when I was listening to similar artists to Amber Asylum.  I was impressed and decided then that I would purchase their latest album.  So i got onto the iTunes store and downloaded an album called "Melodious in Absentia."  I didn't listen to the album right off the bat.  The next day my iPod was on random and played a song from that album.  I had no idea what it was, but it sounded terrible.  Needless to say I wasn't listening to the same Ataraxia I had found on last.fm.  After running a search of the band's latest album, I discovered that the band I was actually looking for released an album entitled "Llyr" in 2010.  I found that one on iTunes, downloaded it, and haven't been disappointed since.

By now you are wondering what kind of music this particular band plays.  This Ataraxia is an Italian band who plays a folk-tinged selection of dark neo-classical tunes with minimalist instrumentation.  For those unfamiliar with the many eras of classical music, let me say that this is not your typical neo-classical music.  Instead of an orchestra playing this music, it is a band, whose three members each play various instruments.  This band plays many outdoor concerts on the sites of various landmarks of historical and spiritual significance, mainly in Europe dealing with spiritual qualities of Greek and Latin myths. 

This band employs anything from lutes, to banjos, to guitars, horns, violins and cello as well as modern technology.  It is a very diverse listening experience that can lend itself to a variety of emotional influences.  I would most compare this band to Dead Can Dance, but with less emphasis on ambiance and more weight put on the folksy, operatic vocals. 

For those not initiated to this type of music, this album can be a taxing listen in that it involves numerous odd time measures, minimal classical instrumentation, and an eclectic array of of mostly classical influences, including classical and early music.  If you have an open mind, there is beauty to be found in these songs.  Vocalist Francesca Nicoli has a heavenly, ethereal voice. 

The lyrics this band writes are in various ancient and contemporary languages, so if you need to understand what the lyrics mean, this band probably isn't for you. 

I enjoyed this album. Hopefully this band will reveal plans to record a new disc soon, because I am a fan.  Since forming in the late 1980s, Ataraxia has released no fewer than 20 LP albums. Take a listen to the title track from "Llyr" below.  As always, thanks for reading and enjoy!