A Closer Listen
Classic post-rock artists tend to make space for each other, releasing albums in separate years. Last year brought us new music from Anoice, MONO & GY!BE, while 2024 begins with albums from Mogwai and You, Infinite (the founding members of This Will Destroy You). But the new generation is coming on strong as well, finding their own timbres. Blue Lake and Hour return with stellar sets this winter, while others are appearing for the first time.
Tomorrow we’ll turn our attention back to writing reviews, but for now, we hope you’ve enjoyed our week-long Winter Music Preview! Happy listening, and may you always have an unreleased album to look forward to.
Our cover image comes from You, Infinite’s self-titled debut, covered below.
Mogwai announces its eleventh album with an explosive cover and provocatively titled single; “God Gets You Back” is one of the preview pieces, demonstrating the band in fine form, and we’d expect nothing less. As befits a band of this stature, it’s also the rare release available on all three physical formats: LP, CD and cassette. The Bad Fire – a euphemism for hell – reflects not only what the band has been through lately, but the world as well (Temporary Residence Ltd., January 24).
Is it This Will Destroy You, or is it not? you, infinite reunites the two founding members of the band, but also includes members of the current TWDY touring band. Whether side project, sequel or descendent, we love the way the self-titled release sounds. The loud-quiet-loud dynamic we expect is here in full force, crescendos intact (Pelagic, February 28).
Looking for some uplifting, melodic, orchestral-tinged post-rock? Human Pyramids has twice made our Happiest Music of the Year chart and return January 17 with Thank You. Based on the sound of “Full Bloom,” they’re headed that way again. Stay tuned for the explosion of brass! (Ricco). Hour has quietly become one of our favorite collectives, reminiscent at times of Do Make Say Think, but with its own understated vibe. On Subminiature, the world will finally get to hear them live. We love the title of the first single, “At the Bar Where You Literally Saved Me from Fatal Heartbreak.” A US tour begins shortly after the Valentine’s Day release (Dear Life).
Abandons is capable of making remarkable transitions, as evidenced by “Habitats,” the first track on Liminal Heart. At first the music is ambient; then it shifts to post-rock, then back to ambient and on to post-metal. While the album is instrumental, the trio has something to say as well, conveyed in their use of spoken word samples (January 25). In an interesting twist, Point Contact has announced their debut album by sharing a track that didn’t make the final cut. A Fleeting Point in Terrifying Beauty will have big beats, post-rock crescendos and a sense of grandeur, but it won’t have Bigthingdrumthing (WW Records, February 14).
“Memory, nostalgia and the passage of time” are fine topics for an early-year release, and are the dominant themes of Circa, the fourth album from South African trio albinobeach. Prog is a reference point, but not the only one; just as often, the band simply rocks (January 24). Delta IV lies between prog and electronic, with copious synth and live drums. Radium Arc is both cosmic and clubworthy, with a nod to the iridescent 80s (January 31). Dark Green is one of those albums that even looks prog, with a nod to Roger Dean. The Tumbleweed Dealer trio includes guest appearances on organ and brass to bring its sound to the next level (February 7).
Psych, drone and beats all find a place on Phases, the chameleonesque new offering from Stereocilia. “Have We Lost Our Minds?” the artist asks. Not at all (February 7). One doesn’t really expect a pink record from Wrekmeister Harmonies, or a title like Flowers in the Spring. But fear not; the music is devastating, and there’s a track titled “Fuck the Pigs,” so it’s safe to say the now-duo has lost none of its aggression. Feedback and reverb abound, pushing the album to the outskirts of drone (Thrill Jockey, February 21).
We were enchanted by Blue Lake‘s Sun Arcs in 2023, and Weft represents an expansion of instruments and timbres. The 36-string zither is a highlight, but there’s room for driftwood and bicycle tire here as well. On this album, Jason Dungan also introduces the Blue Lake Band, which affords him the opportunity to present these tracks live without copious multitracking. The music is warm and endearing; while it’s early to say, we may even like this release better than the last (Tonal Union, January 17). Kelby Clark‘s banjo improvisations create a homespun feel on Language of the Torch, a set that draws on traditions from Appalachian folk to raga, with a slightly cinematic flair (January 10).
Emily Mikesell (trumpet and flugel horn) and Kate Campbell Strauss (soprano, alto, tenor, bari saxophones) make beautiful, accessible jazz on Give Way, which we can imagine crossing over due to its near-universal appeal. Even the pop world may be enchanted (ears&eyes, January 24). Lophae (pronounced as you would expect) seeks to transfer the pleasures of crate digging to the experience of live sound. The jazzy Perfect Strangers finds the quartet seeking transcendence among the notes, sharing them with a tone of gleeful discovery (January 24).
Dance and rock are combined on Don Kashew‘s Bellows; we hope prospective listeners won’t be led astray by the descriptions of new age and neo-folk, as this is a lot more active than those terms may imply. If anything, the music suggests some of the ethnic electronics of the mid-90s (Subject to Restrictions, March 7). Releasing 13 albums is quite an accomplishment, and krautrockers Sounds of New Soma also bring a compelling cover and sunburst vinyl to the table for the occasion. Liquide Gravitation is the first single from The Story of Sam Buckett, set for release on Valentine’s Day (Tonzonen).
Is “Afro Issan Soul” a thing? Salin hopes to make it so with the funky jazz vibes of Rammana, preceded by a slew of singles (one of which is pictured above) and slated for March 28. Multiple guests add vibrant color, while instruments new to Western audiences, such as the puaj, add a layer of intrigue. “Shredding the use of vocals” is a fine phrase for us to read, and represents a new direction for jazz-funk-post-punk trio Tv Dust (yes, the “v” is small). Transition is their first album, following a quartet of EPs, and is an invitation to the (organic) dance floor (Maple Death, January 24).
Richard Allen
Sun Jan 05 00:01:24 GMT 2025