Sleepmakeswaves are an instrumental rock band from Sydney, Australia. Drawing influences mainly from but not limited to post-rock, the young quartet mix driving metallic bombast with textured electronics to create a sonic space where delicate melodies and thunderous climaxes peacefully co-exist. Since their formation in late 2006, sleepmakeswaves have rapidly established themselves as a promising and unique voice in their field. Within the space of a year the band has enjoyed considerable word-of-mouth support and have landed auspicious opening slots with post-rock luminaries such as Pelican, Laura and Meniscus on the back of their powerful live show and acclaimed demo recording.
Albums
Demo (2007)
One Day You Will Teach Me To Let Go Of My Fears
By Moving The Stars I Have Found Where You Are Hiding
You.May.Die.In.The.Desert is a three-piece instrumental band from Seattle, WA. The band originally formed as a two-piece in early 2005 by Brandon Salter and Brian Woods. Their first recordings were nothing more than bass, guitar, some effects, a drum machine, and a tape 4-track recorder. These demos attracted both local and out of state attention. After only playing a handful of local shows they were invited on tour by Boulder, Colorado’s Strangers Die Every Day. After returning from tour, Brandon and Brian decided they needed a live drummer to complete their sound. Local drummer Michael Clark filled the position in the fall of 2006.
You.May.Die.In.The.Desert have a hard-working DIY ethic that works well for them. They have completed three west coast tours and this past summer had the opportunity to tour Japan. Their most recent EP, Bears in the Yukon (Zankyo Records, Japan), has been selling rapidly and gaining the attention of local, national, and international fans and critics. After doing everything on their own for the past two years they have finally found some small independent USA labels that are helping them to release records. They have a split record coming out on Differential Records in January, 2008 and Bears in the Yukon should see an official USA release in the next few months. Following the release of these records they plan on touring extensively.
It was chance that brought the Youth Pictures of Florence Henderson together. It was having nothing better to do that made them make music.
Meeting while attending studies in northern Norway in the fall of 2003, the idea of forming a band quickly emerged. School days were short; the sultry city too far away, and there wasn’t all that much else to do. Drummer Morfar, being the most experienced, was the most eager. Toby and Jerry both had guitars. Audi bought a bass. They had a band and didn’t know what to call it. Toby picked up the line “nude pictures of Florence Henderson” on a TV-show. Nude became youth and they had a name.
Rehearsing in a converted, yellow bomb shelter, YPOFH made songs about Geranimo, wedding lists, drugs, optimist sailing teams and driving all night. Some were poppy, some punk, some long and dreamy, and some just plain awful. Despite that, they were all recorded February 2004. Some came out ok. Some were still awful.
The song that came out the most ok was the long and dreamy “A list not to be read at your wedding”. National radio show for unsigned music, NRK Urørt, picked it up and declared it song of the week May 18th 2004, giving it daily rotation. YPOFH figured they were onto something and made more long and dreamy songs about prison life, the open blue sky, the weight in everything, of knowing when to take your hat off and of not taking your sweater off at all. They made a record and called it “Unnoticeable in a tiny town, invisible in the city”. They recorded, produced, mixed and mastered it themselves in the yellow bomb shelter. They got signed.
The album was released May 21st 2005. With school over and the band members traveling separate ways, the plan was to put YPOFH on ice. If it hadn’t been for the critics going bananas, they would probably have played together for the last time.
“Newcomers of the year”, some said. “Album of the year”, others exaggerated. Flattering nonetheless, YPOFH kept playing. That summer, they played Storåsfestivalen outside Trondheim. Meeting and rehearsing randomly, concerts were played throughout the fall and winter. February they appeared at By:larm. Currently working on material for a new album, rumors have it, they might even tour abroad soon…
Album
Unnoticable In a Tiny Town, Invisible In the City (2005)
A List Not To Be Read At Your Wedding
How Odd To See These Lamps Still Burning
I've Got A Picture Of You Boss
Van Gogh Kept Painting Himself Because He Was The Only Model He Had
We May Be Remembered By What We Did When We Sat Down
Hailing from Iceland FaMR comprises of four 20-year-olds. Their music is best described as energetic, melodious post-rock, though being the natural creative visionaries they are, the band expand and even subvert their style with almost every song. Their self-produced debut album Reistu þig við, sólin er komin á loft…, a mesmerizing, hour-long tapestry featuring six songs and recorded over a weekend in Iceland. The record, as well as their energetic live shows, earned them a slew of accolades, including favourable comparisons to Explosions in the Sky. Their fellow Icelanders Sigur Rós even described them as “a band with the potential to out Mogwai” and invited FaMR on a 15 dates European tour with them.
In 2009, FaMR’s star has continued to rise. Aside from playing non-stop in Iceland’s local café and bar scene, they’ve been busy wow-ing festival crowds at events like Holland’s EurosSonic (Feb, 2009), where leading UK journal Music Week described their performance as “ethereal, melody-soaked music with international appeal.”
It’s hence with a ‘buzz in their ears’ that FaMR head back in the studio to work on new songs for a second album. They’re also plotting a European tour in May and hope to play more festivals in the summer to follow up on the interest so far, and introduce their new material. If things go the way they have been, 2009 looks to be FaMR’s most kick-ass year yet.
Album
Reistu þig við, sólin er komin á loft (2008)
Kyrrð
Reistu þig við, sólin er komin á loft...
Fallegt útsýni
Óhljóð
Ókyrrð
...Sólin er sest og dapurleikinn tekinn við (Bless)
Influences : A Silver Mount Zion, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Sigur Ros, Mogwai, Radiohead and a lot more…
They released a first EP in April 2004, “Quietly” (5 titles) produced by One Hot Record.
After some changes on the line-up, All angels gone worked a lot for live performances (work on the sounds, psychedelic end atmospheric atmospheres, etc.). They played in a lot of places in france like “La maroquinerie” (Paris) with Robin Guthrie (Cocteau Twins) or Below the Sea, “le Grand Mix” (Tourcoing), the “Elysee Montmartre (Paris) in the french final of Emergenza Festival, a post-rock festival in Belgium and many more places.
The integration of video projections during gigs became an essential element of the live performances including originals videos mixed in live with music.
The band is now working on the next album and is actively searching for a producer.
My Humble Opinion
There's something gothic about this band. I mean those female vocals - something Nightwish-like. Well, for me. And it's beautiful. I love them for the (Stephen H) - a heart-breaking piano+strings track, i could listen to it endlessly. Besides, they have a cool web site :)
Day for Airstrikes is a post-rock band from Manchester, United Kingdom. The band was formed in 2002, and since them has undergone a couple a of line-up changes. For the upcoming record the line-up consists of:
- Ian Breen - guitar, bass, acoustic guitar, mini drumkit, vibraphone, hammond organ, glockenspiel, synthesizer, tenori-on - Danny Jones - drums, percussion
A revolutionary listening experience, From Monument to Masses is the moniker of the politically astute post-rock trio from the San Fransisco Bay Area. The group came together in late 2000 when Matthew Solberg (guitarist/vocalist/programmer) and Francis Choung (vocalist/percussionist/drummer) met through an online message board for local musicians. The two began playing together and connected with Sergio Robledo-Moderazo (bassist/keyboardist/programmer/vocalist) who also had connections with Steve Aoki who was the main frontman of Dim Mak records - the record label they would sign to shortly after. Instead of searching for a lead vocalist, the band decided to implement samples of various media sources into their music showcasing the members’ political and social concerns with the modern world. Combining the fluid arrangements and structures of post-rock (one thinks of a more upbeat Mogwai or Godspeed You! Black Emperor), along with the standard principles of post-hardcore, the band has gained critical acclaim for their approach to instrumental rock. The band is still currently signed to Dim Mak records. The follow up to 2003’s groundbreaking The Impossible Leap in One Hundred Simple Steps was a album containing covers and different version of their songs, as well as two new tracks, titled Schools of Thought Contend. For the next four years From Monument to Masses toured massively, throughout America, Europe and Asia. In 2009 they released Beyond God and Elvis as a single, and in March released On Little Known Frequencies. The band will be touring soon to promote this album.
My Humble Opinion
Remarkably, this band doesn't have a vocalist. They use samples from movies, TV programs, commercials and political debates, which sounds pretty nice reminding me of my favourite Maybeshewill's album Japanese Spy Transcript. All in all according to the texts and their own words FMTM are quite politically oriented and hope to change the world around with their music. I don't know if they have succeed but the sound is pretty nice.
Sleepmakeswaves are an instrumental rock band from Sydney, Australia. Drawing influences mainly from but not limited to post-rock, the young quartet mix driving metallic bombast with textured electronics to create a sonic space where delicate melodies and thunderous climaxes peacefully co-exist.
