Showing posts with label Post Rock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Post Rock. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 29, 2025

QUADE, THE FOEL TOWER

Quade
Within the remote Welsh valley of Elan stands the domed Foel Tower, a stone structure filled with valves and cylinders designed to raise and lower the Garreg Ddu reservoir’s water levels. Not far from the tower sits Nannerth Ganol Studios, a stone barn surrounded by barren moors, where Bristol band Quade spent ten days recording their second album. The stark, isolated landscape, shaped by wind, water, and history, became as much a part of the record as the music itself.

With the Foel Tower symbolizing the historical tensions between industrial expansion and rural displacement, and the valley serving as both a literal and metaphorical sanctuary, the barn offered a space for open dialogue and shared healing. Against this backdrop, Quade wove personal reflections into a textured soundscape, threading themes of connection to place, loss, resilience, and renewal throughout, a style they half-jokingly describe as “doomer sad boy, ambient-dub, folk, experimental post-rock.”


Quade approaches The Foel Tower with a confidence that leaves no room for joking. Their sound embraces the spirit of Bark Psychosis' Hex, the landmark album released 31 years earlier for which the term "post-rock" was first coined. It takes a bold band to occupy a similar musical space, and Quade does so with conviction. The Foel Tower draws clear lines to post-rock’s origins while pushing forward, favoring atmosphere, place, and form over traditional songwriting. Their compositions shift naturally between quiet intimacy and expansive force, de-emphasizing conventional structures and using instrumentation in non-traditional ways to build mood and movement. Ultimately, The Foel Tower stands as a statement of Quade’s growing artistry, offering an immersive listening experience.





Monday, December 23, 2024

TEN 2024 ALBUMS THAT DIDN'T GET THEIR DUE



On most weeks throughout the year, I write about stand-out albums that really grabbed me. But for every album that I write about, there are so many others that never get featured here on Sonic Subway. To right a wrong as the year comes to a close, here are are my top ten of those albums.

 



10. John Moreland, Visitor


John Moreland
John Moreland's Visitor is another standout album that reflects the Oklahoma singer-songwriter's introspection while exploring new sonic textures with atmospheric and electronic elements. 




9. Michael Kiwanuka, Small Changes

Michael Kiwanuka
I’ve been a big fan of Michael Kiwanuka since I first heard his 2016 album, Love & Hate. It was and continues to be one of my favorite albums over the past decade. Kiwanuka’s latest album, Small Changes, once again highlights the British singer-songwriter’s soulful artistry, blending his rich vocals and warm instrumentation. 





8. English Teacher, This Could Be Texas

English Teacher
English Teacher’s This Could Be Texas delivers sharp, witty lyrics and great post-punk instrumentation, showcasing the band’s knack for blending humor with social commentary. Hailing from Leeds, the rising quartet has gained recognition for their energy and thought-provoking approach to modern indie music.






7. Maggie Rose, No One Gets Out Alive 

Maggie Rose
Maggie Rose's fourth album, No One Get's Out Alive, seamlessly blends Americana, soul, rock, pop, and folk into a contemporary sounding album that showcases Rose's skillful storytelling and powerful voice.





6. Jessie Murph, That Ain't No Man that's The Devil

Jessie Murph
Jessie Murph’s Ain't No Man That’s The Devil shows off her strong, fierce, and captivating voice, unfiltered storytelling, and a blending of some cool haunting melodies with a contemporary pop edge. Crazy that Murph is only twenty years old.




5. Leif Vollebekk, Revelation

Leif Vollebekk
Canadian singer-songwriter Leif Vollebekk's fifth album, Revelation, wonderfully blends narrative lyrics with cinematic arrangements, reflecting Vollebekk's spiritual explorations and dreams during the COVID-19 lockdowns. 







4. Been Stellar, Scream From New York, NY 

Been Stellar

Been Stellar has been getting quite a bit of attention in the NY City music scene and rightfully so. Their indie rock sound feels like the channeling of the restless energy of the city. And it's greatly showcased on their debut album Scream From New York, NY.  
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3. Yard Act, Where's My Utopia

Yard Act
Leeds, UK, Post-Punk band, Yard Act's debut album, The Overload, was a top ten album for me in 2022. Two years later they have return with Where's My Utopia? Co-produced with Gorillaz member Remi Kabaka Jr., the album marks a stylistic shift incorporating diverse musical influences including disco (really). It's a great step forward for the band and a great album.





2. Vampire Weekend, Only God Was Above Us

Vampire Weekend
Ezra Koenig has done it again. Only God Was Above Us, Vampire Weekend's fifth album, finds Koenig once again fusing pop, baroque pop, Afro-pop, and classical to perfection create a sound scape that can only be of his making.  





1. MJ Lenderman, Manning Fireworks

MJ Lenderman
MJ Lenderman's distinctive blend of alt-country and indie rock provides the perfect backing for the 25 year old singer-songwriter's candid, off-beat, and insightful lyrics. 





Friday, February 26, 2021

The Notwist, Vertigo Days

The Notwist
It's hard to categorize The Notwist's music. For more than twenty years, this shape-shifting German band has moved from Alt-Rock to Indietronica to what today would best be described as Post Rock. Much like bands such as Talk Talk or Radiohead, The Notwist's evolution has been remarkable.

Vertigo Days, the band's latest album, has them moving forward once again. Much like with 2002's Neon Golden, the band is playing with ever changing sounds, rhythms, and instrumentation, creating musical collages and sonic landscapes that are ever shifting and changing. While always experimental, the band's music is here to intrigue and charm and not so much to challenge. It's a remarkable balance act and I found myself coming back to this album many times to experience this unique musical space. Vertigo Days is a noteworthy album that will leave a lasting impression long after listening to it. 

Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Lice, What Ails Our People Is Clear

Lice
Every once in a while, an album comes along that defies my understanding of what music can and should be. Lice’s Wasteland: What Ails Our People Is Clear is one of these albums.
 
As DIY Magazine wrote, Lice’s debut albums feels like their ‘conscious uncoupling from the contemporary musical landscape. A conceptual commentary on the band’s perceived banality of the ‘satirical guitar music boom’, they lampoon the cliche across 11 barnstorming tracks. But for all the bridge burning, there is still a touch of the familiar. Deeply rooted in modern left field sensibilities, they combine their unique brand of artistic experimentation with the grounding influence of their peers. The result is a collection of biting, esoteric hymns that readily combine the earthly and the cosmic.’
 
This is an album not to be missed, but come ready to be challenged.

Friday, July 10, 2020

A.A. Williams, Forever Blue


The first time I listened to A.A. Williams' Forever Blue, it happened to be on a cloudy, rain soaked filled day. It provided the perfect backdrop for listening to this dark and striking album. Williams, who is a classically trained cellist and pianist, started playing the guitar after becoming hooked on alt-metal. It was the beginning of her exploration into fusing elements of classical, post-rock, and metal into something uniquely her own. On Forever Blue, that fusion with its moments of quiet and explosiveness, creates the perfect mood for Williams' 'rumination on feels of isolation, autonomy, and the anxieties surrounding love and lost.' (The Line of Best Fit). It all makes for a spine-tingling album that grabs you, draws you in, and won't let you go. 



Saturday, September 7, 2019

ON ROTATION

Lots of great music. Not enough time to write about it all...but here's what's on rotation for me right now. 

Lana Del Rey, Norman Fucking Rockwell!


   Song: Mariners Apartment Complex



Sandro Perri, Soft Landing


   Song: Wrong About The Rain




Friday, July 19, 2019

FAVORITE ALBUMS OF THE DECADE - THE '90's


My top favorite albums of the '90's.

Radiohead, OK Computer 

Bryan Ferry, Mamouna

Talk Talk, Laughing Stock

Soundgarden, Superunknown

Everything But The Girl, Amplified Heart

Alice In Chains, Jar Of Flies

World Party, Goodbye Jumbo

Matthew Sweet, Girlfriend

Travis, The Man Who

Pink Floyd, The Division Bell

Sting, Ten Summoner's Tales

George Michael, Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1

Mike Scott, Bring 'Em All In

Built To Spill, Perfect From Now On

Phish, A Live One

Dave Matthews, Under The Table And Dreaming

Trip Shakespeare, Across The Universe

Oasis, (What's The Story) Morning Glory?

The La's, The La's

Nanci Griffith, Flyer