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!

Asidefromaday-Chasing Shadows review

I make some of my decisions to listen to some new music--artists whose work I am unfamiliar with-based on music reviews.  That may sound like an incredibly shallow tactic, but consider first that literally countless pieces of new music and artists come out every day.  I can't possibly listen to all of them.  Now, my decisions are not just based on positive or favorable reviews.  Sometimes reviews can come out that say next to nothing about the music the band in question plays.  I read reviews about new music, putting a keen ear to description of the music.  And then, if it sounds like I might like it, I listen to it.  Many times I turn it off after only a minute or so, or even less.  Other times, I keep listening to it all the way through.

Although I was skeptical of this band because of their run-on name, I enjoyed the sound their new disc offers.  I think run-on band names are dumb.  Iwrestledabearonce just sounds like a juvenile name.  Forget about the fact that the aforementioned band plays a style of metal that I can't stand. 

What really caught my attention was the album cover.  The cover art was the first representation of this album that I saw.  This is another aspect that can often lead me to listen to a new band.  Sometimes cool album covers suggest cool music.  The NewReview shows the album cover only as the initial link to their review.  Some album covers I find unbearable to look at, and so I will skip the review.

Enough about my decision-making process.  I'm sure that some of you find that as interesting as watching paint dry.  What can I say, some people are just so impatient they cringe at the idea of pronouncing a band's full name.

What kind of music does Asidefromaday perform?  What, it has taken me this long to get to that?  So I ramble sometimes.  So sue me.  Many classify Frechmen Asidefromaday as either post-metal or post-hardcore.  This is an opinion I do not share.  While the band certainly flourishes some of the same musical styles of those sub genres, they counter that with some fantastic shredding.  Most of the songs sound similar, but not similar enough to get repetitive and boring.  Like post-rock, the music stretches with long, spaced-out atmospheric passages that suggest the imagery of still-glowing, but blackened coals draped over the moribund flames of aggressive metal.  I enjoy this interplay with the more voracious metal tones immensely.  The progression in the music is striking.

And then you get to the vocals.  The vocals may sound like your average metalcore screaming more often than not, but they work well enough to not sound out of place or truly derivative.  These extreme vocals continue throughout the album, which adds intensity to sheer emotion displayed within the swelling keyboard atmosphere and the crushing rhythms.

The best part about this disc is that it isn't challenging to listen to at all.  Some of the tracks are long, but not so long that you think you'll be cashing in your social security by the time it ends.   Listening to "Chasing Shadows" is a truly rewarding listening experience you cannot go wrong with.  Check out the full album stream, courtesy of Asidefromaday'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!