Alcest - Shelter (2014)

I'm just gonna come right out and say it: I'm a total Alcest fanboy. Therefore, my expectations for this album were sky high before it came out so fortunately it's every bit the gorgeous masterpiece I expected it to be. If you didn't know, Alcest started out as pure, raw black metal on their demo. Then they started with the whole blackgaze thing on their EP "Le Secret" and took a break from harsh vocals on their debut album "Souvenirs d'un Autre Monde." The next two albums reintroduced harsh vocals, but here they're gone once again along with the metal itself. What we end up with is a slice of pure shoegaze/post-rock bliss. I see it as a completely natural and logical extension of their metal sound, yet I understand the sentiment of those who are disappointed with "Shelter" and wished Alcest had stuck with their metal roots. And I admit it did take a couple more listens than normal to really "get" this album, but now I'm at the point where I feel it's fully clicked. Each song feels very unique and portrays a distinct emotion. The emotions range from the pure joy and exuberance of "Opale" to the dark melancholy of "L'Eveil des Muses" to somewhere in the middle of those two extremes with the glorious closing track "Delivrance." Alcest further mix things up by throwing in some fantastic guest vocals from Neil Halstead of Slowdive fame on the track "Away" (which has my favorite melody on the album.) Overall, though I wouldn't rank it as highly as the three albums that preceded it, I am still deeply impressed with "Shelter" and fully expect it to feature on my best of 2014 list. Simply put, this record stands heads and shoulders with the shoegaze classics of the '90's and is an absolutely incredible achievement.
9.5/10

 

Hammock - Oblivion Hymns (2013)

While other post-rock bands are entirely capable of creating some very beautiful music, no band does it with as much focus and success as Hammock do. Coming right on the heels of their masterpiece "Departure Songs," "Oblivion Hymns" continues in much the same direction as their previous works but also forges a unique identity for itself. For the first time, Hammock have incorporated classical instruments into their music and, being the geniuses they are (yeah I know, I'm a Hammock fanboy) ended up making yet another phenomenal record. Really, these guys can do absolutely no wrong. Their music is the perfect vehicle to send you floating off into space for eternity. While artists such as Stars of the Lid and Eluvium come close stylistically, there's really no one else that can match the ethereal beauty that is Hammock. If you're new to the band then prepare to have your jaw drop right to the floor. And while I wouldn't call this my favorite Hammock album, it's easily one of the best albums of last year and a phenomenal addition to their stellar discography.
9.5/10

 

Sleep White Winter - Dreamscapes (2013)

While blackgaze in 2013 may be dominated by Deafheaven's Sunbather, an excellent record entirely worthy of its praise, this obscure album comes awfully close to rivaling it. The music is at once haunting and ferocious; beautiful and cathartic. It's quite easy to imagine listening to it in the middle of a forest during winter or, alternatively, in a vast meadow during summer. As the title suggests, this is an album that takes you wherever your imagination wants to go with some of the dreamiest, most majestic black metal I've heard. With any luck, this album will become as least as popular as Sunbather; I certainly think it should be. If you're a fan of Alcest, Lantlos, Coldworld etc. then this phenomenal album should be right up your alley.
9.5/10

 

Palms - Palms (2013)

When I first heard about the collaboration between Deftones singer Chino Moreno and several ex-Isis members, I thought it was a brilliant idea as I'm a huge fan of both bands. Even though this album might not stand up to the best of either band's discography, it's nevertheless a beautiful piece of post-rock and something these highly talented musicians should be proud of. My favorite tracks are "Future Warrior" with its simple, yet hypnotic melody that flows throughout, and "Shortwave Radio" which has a very catchy and uplifting chorus. I wish some parts of the album were developed a bit more in terms of adding in more heavy parts, yet it's understandable that the band wanted to take their sound in a somewhat different direction than of Isis. Regardless, it's an excellent album that Isis fans and post-rock fans in general should enjoy.
8.75/10

Sigur Ros - Kveikur (2013)

Post-rock legends Sigur Ros have a knack for being one of the most innovative and groundbreaking bands around, but on their seventh album they have pushed themselves even further into uncharted territory and made one of the most creative and unique records in post-rock. While last year's Valtari is undoubtedly a great record, many fans including myself felt that Sigur Ros were playing it a bit too safe in terms of rehashing their established sound. On Kveikur, the band have remedied this problem by experimenting with industrial rock and pop and blending these sounds into their post-rock template. What results is the band at their most upbeat, passionate and playful. This can be seen on tracks such as "Rafstraumur" which has a distinct post-punk vibe, the title track with its thumping drums and aggressive droning (quite possibly the loudest track SR have ever written), and "Hrfantinna" with its eclectic mix of chimes, saxophone and an uplifting chorus. "Yfirbord" is quite a curious track in that it mixes the band's old, melancholic style with subtle electronic beats and is somewhat reminiscent of Radiohead. The gorgeous closer "Var" could have fit well on Valtari; this is something that really rounds out Kveikur nicely and connects it with the band's older material. Sigur Ros should be immensely proud of themselves for not only having the courage to experiment with their trademark sound, but also for simply making one of the best records of their career. I'm really excited to see where they go from here,

 9.5/10

Scale the Summit - The Migration (2013)

As one of the most talented prog metal bands out there, Scale the Summit had a lot riding on them after the incredible "The Collective" which seemed to be the pinnacle of instrumental prog metal. I certainly didn't see how they could top that album, much less move forward in new directions. On "The Migration" they have certainly accomplished the latter, if not the former, and have once again proven themselves as accomplished musicians and made a superb record. The most noticeable way in which StS have progressed as a band is with the inclusion of numerous post-rock elements, the most obvious of which is on the breathtaking "Atlas Novus" (already one of my favorite songs of theirs). Elsewhere on the album, post-rock elements blend nicely with some of the heaviest riffs StS have ever done. A shining example of this is "Oracle" which features beautiful acoustic passages as well as headbangable riffs. Now, post-rock elements may have featured on "The Collective" as well, but not to the extent and not of the same quality as they do here. As you can probably tell, "The Migration" is the band's most diverse record to date. That said, "The Traveler" is probably the song that sounds the most like their early days and therefore "traditional." But it's still great as well even if a bit too long. All in all, this is a phenomenal album that prog fans will probably enjoy immensely. Unless Animals as Leaders pulls off something stupendous (which I don't really doubt will happen to be honest), this will be my instrumental album of the year.

9.5/10

Deafheaven - Sunbather (2013)

Well, it looks like we have yet another contender for black metal album of the year. Besides Alcest, I don't think I've heard any other band that mixes black metal and post-rock with the incredible knack for balancing beauty with brutality as this band does. The metal parts on this album just ooze intensity and emotionality with vocalist George Clarke absolutely destroying his throat with atmospheric, semi-melodic riffs and manically fast drumming accompanying him. The clean parts are, for the most part, absolutely gorgeous and flow quite nicely into the metal mayhem. Some of the best post-rock moments on this record include the middle section of "The Pecan Tree" and the intro to the mammoth "Vertigo." I'm not sure  how this stacks up against the debut as I haven't listened to that one very much, but "Sunbather" is an incredible and unique album in its own right. Like most black metal, it's not an easy listen but it's thoroughly rewarding and at least worth giving a shot.

9.5/10

Sigur Ros - Brennisteinn EP (2013)

One of the most innovative bands on the planet just innovated some more. Right off the bat, you can tell this is going to be a whole new chapter for the world's biggest post-rock band with the title track's churning, industrial soundscapes, pounding drums, and glitchy beats. The song ends with beautiful ambient droning and marks one of the the darkest pieces Sigur Ros have recorded to date. However, the next piece "Hryggjarsula" is just as dark if not darker. This one isn't too far off from the post-apocalyptic landscapes featured in Godspeed You! Black Emperor's epic creations, and is even somewhat reminiscent of the work of dark ambient composer Lustmord. It's simply one of the most haunting things I've heard from this band. The final track "Ofibrta" sounds a lot like Hammock and could have been featured on "Valtari." All in all, I'm super excited with the direction the band is taking on Kveikur. I'm very much looking forward to reviewing it.
9.5/10

 

Long Distance Calling - The Flood Inside (2013)

As my first experience with this band, I can see they have a whole lot of talent but weren't really able to make a cohesive record. This is especially the case with the tracks that have vocals in them. As compared to the excellent instrumentals on the album, the vocal tracks lack the dynamism and sense of adventure that the former have. In turn, that makes the album feel rather disjointed and schizophrenic which is not a good thing in a demanding genre such as post-rock (or any other genre for that matter.) Unlike the new Olafur Arnalds album in which vocals were integrated nicely into a genre that normally doesn't feature vocals at all, the vocals on this album detract not only from the music backing them but also affect the album as a whole. Then again, those tracks aren't actually bad; they just don't fit with the album's flow. So overall, it's a mixed bag. But I am interested in checking out their earlier albums without vocals as I'm sure they'll be superb.
8/10

 

The Antlers - Burst Apart (2011)

As far as indie rock goes, this band is hands-down one of the best I've ever heard. I'm ashamed to admit I only very recently discovered them, but better late than never. Their sound is very close to that of Radiohead (who vocalist Peter Silberberg admits is one of his top influences), but they still manage to keep their musical identity intact and quite vibrant with a healthy infusion of post-rock. In fact, if there's any band that could make post-rock pop it's this band. The instrumentation is very fresh and organic while Silberberg's vocals are simply magical and heartfelt. Again, I'm not much of an indie fan in general, but my respect for the genre did go up several notches after hearing this album.
9.5/10

 

Message to Bears - Folding Leaves (2012)

This is a very beautiful collection of songs that, interestingly enough, meld post-rock with folk. It's quite a brilliant combination and it's done with much skill. Some of the songs could use a bit more development though, but overall it's a strong album and one that fans of both genres should enjoy.
8.5/10

 

And So I Watch You From Afar - All Hail Bright Futures (2013)

If you're looking for prog/math rock that's quirky, energetic, and downright fun then this band should fit the bill quite nicely. Instead of taking the route of pure technicality like some of their peers in other math bands, this band takes an almost avant-garde approach throwing eclectic instruments, melodies and vocals. All this is enveloped in a post-rockish atmosphere. This album was quite refreshing to listen to, and I'll make a point of exploring the rest of the band's discography in the future.
9/10

 

Dordeduh - Dar De Duh (2012)

Yeah I know, it's pretty funny to say the band name with the album name, but the music itself is no laughing matter. In fact, it's very good, atmospheric black metal mixed with a big portion of folk and post-rock. The band consists of ex-members of Negura Bunget, and they do a terrific job outside of their former band. In a year full of great black metal releases, this one really stands out for its musical uniqueness alone, not to mention the superb proggy songwriting.
9.5/10

The Evpatoria Report - Golveka (2005)

Wow, this is an incredibly beautiful album with soothing melodies, great atmosphere, and amazing classical sections. If you're a fan of post-rock like GYBE, then this is definitely the band for you.
9.5/10

 

Fen - Dustwalker (2012)

This is a very epic atmospheric black metal album that's heavily indebted to the majesty of the post-rock genre. That said, it's apparent that this album is quite different from those of Krallice or WitTR. There are hardly any blast-beat sections to speak of, and it has a closer resemblance to Opeth and especially Agalloch in terms of melodies and clean vocals. I would definitely tack this album up as one of the best black metal releases of the year.
9/10

 

Caspian - Waking Season (2012)

Caspian and this album certainly rank as some of the best post-rock of the year. Like their previous efforts, Waking Season is an epic, sprawling, and beautiful. The band take a gradual, minimalist approach to their compositions which really pays off in terms of gripping emotionality. In all, it's their best album yet and a fine addition to the genre.
9/10

 

Sigur Ros - Valtari (2012)

This album is possibly the best one from the post-rock titans since Agaetis Byrjun. Each song creates an incredible soundscape full of myth and wonder. Jonsi's majestic vocals once again soar into the stratosphere are you're transported into bliss. The band went for a decidedly ambient approach on this album, and that is what makes it so consistent as compared to the relative inconsistency of Meo suo... This is an incredible album that should be high on any post-rock fan's end of the year list.

9.5/10  

Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend (2012)

The surprise release from this legendary post-rock band didn't disappoint in the slightest, and I have to say that it more than lives up to the band's reputation. It has a particularly dark, minimalistic atmosphere (especially on the two shorter drone tracks) that is interspersed with moments of sheer beauty. We Drift Like Worried Fire is probably my favorite track on the album because it exemplifies this amazing dynamic so skillfully. It's a great accomplishment for the band and certainly one of this year's must-listens.

9/10

Deafheaven - Roads to Judah (2011)

Here's another very unique atmospheric black metal that beautifully mixes in a post-rock structure. Besides that, it's pretty similar to WitTR et. al. with fast, aggressive sections and clean, melodic ones. Overall a very solid listen.
8.5/10

 

Mono - For My Parents (2012)

Here is another contender for post-rock album of the year. Mono have a very unique classical approach to post-rock that has put them on the map as one of the most renowned artists in the genre. Like all their other albums, this one is beautiful and incredibly emotional. Check out their video for Legend and you will see how cinematic and epic their music is.
9.5/1