Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Album of the Week: Thelittlesorryselfyouare

Thelittlesorryselfyouare
Thelittlesorryselfyouare EP
Self-Released
Myspace


By some standards, Thelittlesorryselfyouare's five-track, forty minute debut EP is nothing out of the ordinary within the contemporary experimental scene. As a quintet from Belgium, Thelittlesorryselfyouare is comprised of two guitarists, a bassist, keyboardist, and a drummer. The music itself, while at no stretch boring or tired, utilizes fairly typical post-rock techniques: melodic, crescendo-heavy pieces are elegantly crafted through the use of fluttering tremolo and moments of heavy guitar distortion. Undoubtedly, Thelittlesorryselfyouare respect and indeed draw from their influences on a number of occasions, but unlike many other young artists, distinguish themselves through a palpable sense of passion and intensity. Thelittlesorryselfyouare present a somewhat raw cohesion of atmospheric, textural guitar work and windy song structures, commonly delving into moments of contrasting delicacy and wall of sound schematics. "Designedly Dissolved into Nothingless," the EP's standout track, creates an intriguing, melancholic atmosphere that merges into a distortion-rich crescendo format. On display here, and within the EP in general, is a unique feeling of unbridled emotion and creativity. The band seemingly play less for the creation of a monumental, ground-breaking work than they do for the concept of "art for art's sake": Thelittlesorryselfyouare craft music that is ultimately an expression of their collective sentiment, unrestrained by an overbearing sense of importance or weight. Instead, Thelittlesorryselfyouare concentrate on shifting environments through texture, eager to portray dramatic soundscapes and images. However, the band's relative youth and the overall raw nature of their music does hinder the EP in a few regards. The songs presented on the EP all follow a common pattern, and while at some points the lengthy compositions are effective, other moments tend to drag as a result of unnecessary interludes and overly-drawn out crescendos. Ultimately, the band would benefit from the inclusion of more compact compositions, such as opener "Do," alongside lengthier, decidedly epic pieces ("Pynar and His Backseat Problems"). That being said, Thelittlesorryselfyouare are without doubt a group to keep an eye on in the future. The band are certainly on the right path with their debut EP, which remains one of the highlights of the European post-rock scene this year.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Album of the Week: Pooma

Pooma
Persuader
Next Big Thing
Myspace

On Persuader, Helsinki-based quintet Pooma have produced one of the standout full-lengths of the year, continuing the now commonplace trend of spectacular releases from Scandinavian bands. The fact that Persuader is Pooma's debut offering, however, marks the band as anything but typical. The level of creativity and musicianship presented throughout the course of the album's 50 minutes are in fact the product of two years of adjustments and fine-tuning, ultimately lending to the solid and overall polished feel of Persuader. While Pooma do draw from a number of diverse influences, their sound comes off as original and unforced; the primary success being the band's creation of a distinct signature of dark atmospheric textures laced with ethereal vocals and intriguing rhythms. This unique template of sorts is then applied over more palpable elements from a number of sources, ranging from the trip-hop inspired "They Won't Come Back" to the cinematic, almost post-rock like compositions of "The Shore" and "All Worked Out". The majority of tracks follow a middle-ground, seamlessly blending down-tempo melancholic moments with portions rich in fuzz and distortion. Nowhere else is this style utilized more effectively than on album-standout "Snow." On possibly the paramount track released this year, Pooma construct a wall-of-sound framework utilized by so many contemporary bands, the difference here being Pooma's perfection of the craft. Ambient passages naturally slip into intense, noisy swells anchored by soaring vocals, all the while centered around the band's exceptional sense of melody. Indeed, the album as a whole casts a large shadow on most other bands attempting to merge tradtional rock with more experimental tendencies. In the future, the band will undoubtedly look to expand and develop their sound, an intimidating thought given the already-refined talent demonstrated on Persuader.