Album Review: This Will Destroy You – Another Language
–Written by Mike Hogan
I’m constantly amazed by how much can be accomplished with some droning, reverb-y guitar feedback and a simple, repetitive drum beat. It seems like nothing – an album skipping, perhaps – but there can be so much depth and subtlety hidden within the noise, invoking a fresh new mood with only slight adjustments in dynamics. It’s truly a phenomenon to experience when a single non-melodic sound can inspire so much emotion. Years ago, Austin, Texas post-rock band This Will Destroy You took an idea very similar to this one and cemented their place within the hearts of the post-rock community with their debut EP Young Mountain. The first track, “Quiet” encapsulated the prodigious grasp TWDY had on just a single phrase of music, showcasing how such a simplistic structure could be manipulated into a million different emotions – from despondent and melancholy to bright and uplifting, all driven by a largely unchanged drumbeat. It was a brilliant exercise in simplistic minimalism, and it became the hallmark of their sound.
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Weekend Wind-Down No. 6: Acoustic Jams
–Words and list by Michael Hogan
I might have gone a little overboard with this one. “Wind-down” quickly turned into “super fucking depressing” in several cases – see: Bayside, Alkaline Trio, Jimmy Eat World – but that doesn’t change the fact that these are all really great songs. Many of them could rank among my favorite songs of all time; tracks like “Play Crack The Sky” and “Always Coming Back Home to You” have managed to resonate with me for over a decade now.
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Weekend Warm-Up No. 6: Screamo/Metalcore Throwback
–Words and list by Michael Hogan
I remember the first time I heard As I Lay Dying. I believe it was 2003; it was the demo for “Forever,” not even the real track off of Frail Words Collapse. Hell, Frail Words Collapse hadn’t even been released yet. Up to this point I had been running on a borderline unhealthy mix of AFI and Slipknot, but this was a game changer. As I Lay Dying was so much heavier, so much more chaotic. It was like a mix of all the best qualities of my reliable staples of the time and I loved it. Of course, it also opened the floodgates to my discovery of all the bands that made this list. So with that, he’s a trip down memory lane with some old-school heavy.
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Four Quick Things: Lockn’ Music Festival
–Written by Kevin Madert
As a kid, I always dreaded Labor Day. It meant summer was over and school was imminent – a one-two knockout punch. As I got older and began to accept the inevitability of all things in life, my dread diminished to a dull dislike. This would most likely have persisted for many years to come if it weren’t for a man named Dave Frey. Frey is the cofounder of Lockn’ Music Festival – a four-day, first class rock music experience at Oak Ridge Farm in Arrington, Virginia that took place for the first time early last September. Showing no signs of a sophomore slump, round two is slated for this weekend (the 4-7 of September) with headlining performances from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Allman Brothers, Phil Lesh & Friends, Umphrey’s Mcgee, and more. There’s far too much to highlight here, but read on to learn a little more about Lockn’ – the festival so good it has me excited for the end of the summer.
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Weekend Wind-Down No. 5: Post-Rocking
–Words and list by Kevin Madert
We’re pushing the chill envelope (chillvelope?) this week with a collection of instrument-centric tracks the genre gods term “post-rock.” Snatching elements of ambient, rock, jam, and even a hint of classical, these ten tracks are just as much about the journey as each individual moment. When the final arpeggiating guitar cadence of “Your Hand In Mine” comes to a close it feels as though you’ve accomplished something.
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Weekend Warm-Up No. 5: Tranced
–Words and list by Kevin Madert
This one was a no-brainer. Nothing says “get the f*ck up” like the rigid structure and crescendo progression of a hard-hitting trance song, and even though these ten caught my ear this list could have been populated by one of thousands of other equally worthy tunes. Anjunabeats is well-represented – “Sushi” being one of the better progressive tracks the label has released – and I’ll defend to the death the inclusion of Basshunter on this list.
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