Approaching Oblivion

I think I’m floating. Pelican’s The Fire In Our Throats Will Beckon The Thaw, released on Hydra Head Records in 2005. I’ll begin by saying my pre-conceived mind was exhausted and easily distracted from a tiresome day at work; post-listening I feel more centered, energized and aware. This to me, is a sign of great post-rock. The beginning track titled Last Day Of Winter opens with a light-hearted progression that doesn’t move far it’s original form. It slides along at a medium pace, with the standard post-rock sound we are used to hearing. Bands I immediately began comparing were Irepress , Mogwai and This Will Destroy You . This is probably the brightest section of the whole album, which I believe is a good method to begin a record. It symbolizes something; maybe innocence, or a fresh new morning. The drumming remains rather orthodox (I mean this in the humblest possible), with a primary focus on symbol and snare. Rarely do the toms become focused on and scarcely does the...

"Dead Meadow met in the DC punk/indie scene, though their music draws from more faraway sources. The band formed in the fall of 1998 from the ashes of local bands The Impossible Five and Colour, when singer-guitarist Jason Simon, bassist Steve Kille, and drummer Mark Laughlin set out to fuse their love of early 70’s hard rock and 60’s psychedelia with their love of writers J.R.R. Tolkien and H.P. Lovecraft. Dead Meadow released their six-song debut in 2000 on Fugazi bassist Joe Lally’s Tolotta Records, and a joint vinyl release on D.C. indie label Planaria Records. In 2001 the band released its second album, Howls From The Hills, on Tolotta. Whereas the first self-titled album was recorded in their practice space for a couple hundred dollars and plenty of learning curves, Howls From The Hills was born in a barn in Liberty, Indiana. Their sound fuller without losing its live essence, the band grew to encompass everything from ambient guitar drones to surging psych-funk sludge, blue...