AWmusic

A lot of people consider Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band (aka A Silver Mt. Zion) a petty knock-off of the glorious Godspeed You! Black Emperor. In fact, comparison seems necessary with every review of the band, but the two bands are very, very different from each other. You may have read that I listed 13 Blues For Thirteen Moons as one of the top five post-rock albums of the year. Pitchfork disagrees, stating that it is a terribly pretentious album. Yeah, I can see that. I can also see that it is a pretty good album that separates itself from the post-rock mainstream, so drastically so it leaves us baffled.

GY!BE never fails when you’re relying on that good cup of post-rock, but if you’re seeking a change in direction, it may be worth it to seriously consider this album. I find Efrim Menuck’s vocals kind of annoying and the lyrics (the choruses, anyway) are a bit on the cheesier side (“the hangman’s got a hard-on,” for example, on “13 Blues For Thirteen Moons”), but everything blended together sounds pretty epic. Rather than conveying the mainstream post-rock features of defined and repetitive melodies, 13 Blues For Thirteen Moons has a more minimalistic, raw sound to it, with catchy vocal harmonies, incorporating a lot of progressive, jazz and classical influences. As an entire blend of music, Menuck’s vocals start to even sound appropriate and less annoying. But not really.

The album doesn’t really kick off until the thirteenth track (go figure). The first twelve tracks are a series of six-second loops of screechy noise, holding some melody but not enough to get you really into it. The last four songs make up for the twelve tracks of virtually nothing, lasting for an average of fourteen minutes each. Each track does not play out in one fashion for all fourteen minutes; rather, the melodies and rhythms are constantly changing in one track alone. “1,000,000 Died to Make This Sound” starts off slowly with an almost inaudible single guitar riff, building up with softer harmonizing vocals. It starts to kick off at three and a half minutes, incorporating a full band, set with an orchestra of strings. The consistency is held mostly in the vocals and the base melody.

13 Blues for Thirteen Moons can be described as being experimental, drawing in influences from many different genres. It is really different from the mainstream post-rock, but it still maintains some post-rock feats, including long ass track lengths and consistent base melodies. If anything makes this album good, it’s that it really is progressive in nature. It defies the concepts we expect of post-rock while still remaining (although of course not wholly) in the genre. In my opinion, it is a bit underappreciated (or maybe overrated on my part).

MP3s:
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band – Black Waters Blowed Engine Broken Blues
A Silver Mt Zion – Blindblindblind

#5 – Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, formally known as A Silver Mt. Zion – 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons

While Menuk’s voice (and the band’s newest name) never ceases to piss me off, this album deserves some credit. It got a pretty bad rating from Pitchfork, and yeah, while it may come off as pretentious, I won’t deny it’s pretty damn good. This album defies a lot of post-rock themes; rarely having a quiet-loud build-up, but rather being consistently minimalistic and raw with defining influences from jazz, punk, and classical. And the vocal arrangements would’ve been good if I didn’t hate Menuk’s voice so much. But yeah. Something you don’t hear in post-rock every day.

Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band – Black Waters Blowed/Engine Broken Blues
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band – Blindblindblind

#4 – Sigur Ros – Med sud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust

This may be a little biased as I absolutely love Sigur Ros, and I owe it to them for introducing me to post-rock in the first place, but hey–you really can’t go wrong with “Gobbledigook.” Granted it was the only song on the album that actually had an upbeat acoustic sound to it…but whatever. I’m so in love with Sigur Ros that I just don’t care. This album incorporates every Sigur Ros album I’ve ever loved (Agaetus Byrjun and () to name two), and yeah, even if it is a rather safe move on the band’s part, it’s still damn good and I’m proud to put it on this list. Check out the full review here.

Sigur Ros – Illgresi
Sigur Ros – Gobbledigook
Sigur Ros – Vid spilum endalaust

#3 – Have a Nice Life – Deathconsciousness

I am sure I’m not alone when I say that this album is probably one of the best rock albums of the year. A concept album revolving around ideas of sorrow, death, and religion (and those three intertwined), it is a very personal take on life through the expression of music. Personally, I enjoyed the second disc a lot better than the first as it’s a little more engaging. Leaning more towards a drone, shoegaze lo-fi sound, this album might not be considered “post-rock” in the typical term (avant-garde is likelier), but I’m still going to include it in this list. Read the full review here.

Have A Nice Life – Waiting for Black Metal to Come in the Mail
Have A Nice Life – Who Would Leave Their Son Out in the Sun?
Have A Nice Life – A Quick One Before the Eternal Worm Devours Connecticut

#2 – Tomcat Combat – I’m Okay, You’re Okay

You might remember my over-enthusiastic post on Tomcat Combat’s summer album, I’m Okay, You’re Okay. It’s full of energy, good tunes, and it keeps you on your toes. You can read the full review if you want, but basically I love this album because of it’s awesome dynamic rhythm shifts, something I’ve grown to appreciate in other music since listening to this album. Tomcat Combat are probably one of the lesser known and therefore unappreciated post-rock bands out there, so for the glory of all post-rock, please check them out!

Tomcat Combat – Pacer’s Club
Tomcat Combat – Ponies on Ice

#1 – The American Dollar – A Memory Stream

If you’re looking for a mellowed out, dreamy album that doesn’t actually scream post-rock, your best bet is with A Memory Stream. The piano and guitar melodies will hook you in and envelope you in their mellow but very saturated instrumentation. It is a fusion of great electronic music with post-rock concepts–one of the best ambient albums out there, and therefore, #1 on my list. Check out the full review.

The American Dollar – The Slow Wait (2)
The American Dollar – Lights Dim