An article by The Silent Ballet Staff
20) Slow Six | Nor'easter
United States
 
New Albion
One of my favorite discoveries of the year, Slow Six create an unorthodox hybrid of styles that is immediately refreshing and noteworthy. The collective have managed to single themselves out from the vast ocean of like-minded musicians and quickly forged an easily identifiable sound. To say the music on Nor'easter is challenging would be a great understatement, certainly this is one CD that will soar over the heads of most audiences. However, those who understand the scope and range of the Slow Six project will likely agree it's one of the year's most accomplished releases. Few have dared to be so ambitious, yet delivered such a powerful artistic statement backed by years of concentration and experience. Whenever they get around to releasing their next CD, it'll probably already be too long a wait.
(Jordan Volz)
[Read Our Review]
19) Joy Wants Eternity | You Who Pretend to Sleep
United States
 
Beep Repaired
If there was one release from an up-and-coming band that post-rock aficionados were looking forward to this year it was You Who Pretend To Sleep. While each song seems to hold back at its beginning, they all manage to come together effortlessly and beautifully. Lonesome guitar plucking is met by creeping bass and disquisitive drums, which can only lead to a recipe for greatness. You Who Pretend To Sleep reminds avid listeners to the genre just what makes it so great, and gives everyone something to look forward to in the upcoming years.
(Erich Meister)
[Read Our Review]
18) Redhooker | The Future According to Yesterday
United States
 
Self-Released
Containing no percussion, The Future According to Yesterday is a refreshingly different take on the classical/minimalist genres. The interplay between each instrument is brilliantly executed, especially in the stunning violin-lead finale “Twelve Times Goodbye,” a track saturated in melancholy; Redhooker certainly saved the best for last, closing the magnificent opus with a piece we'll never forget. Similarly to the skill and professionalism found on his related Slow Six project, The Future According to Yesterday has a depth and complexity which ensures that Stephen Griesgraber and Redhooker are in for a bright and fruitful future.
(Leanne Simpson)
[Read Our Review]
17) Sennen | Automatic Writing
Netherlands
 
Zabel
Sennen stands out among the crowded instrumental scene by displaying a keen sense of the power of solid songwriting, something often forgotten among the rabid desire to be “loud” or “different.” Tracks move cyclically, not repetitively, utilizing the influence of jazz to allow their rock album to take the “scenic route” to its conclusion – a decision that no one can fault. Each of the tracks flow naturally, almost automatically from one another, and not a note is out of place. Every instrument, every riff is attuned to create the greatest possible impact on the song. When the only complaint about an album is that you wish the trumpets were used more often, you know you're on to a winner, and Automatic Writing is just that.
(Zach Mills)
[Read Our Review]
16) Beware of Safety | It is Curtains
United States
 
Self-Released
Yes, Beware Of Safety are one of those loud/quiet, guitar-based post-rock bands. Yes, it would be perfectly possible to spend the rest of our sad little lives arguing over the exact definition of "generic" and whether it is possible to classify BoS as such. Yes, they even have a song that's over 10 minutes long! But I couldn't really give a gasping grope, they make some of the most terrifyingly ballsy music I have heard in a long time and it would be inanely foolish to deny granting them this on the basis of pedantic prejudices. The third, surprise climax of "Weak Wrists" and the instant when the first full drum beat enters in "To The Roof! Let's Jump And Fall" are two of those moments which you can tell would completely blow away any sentient human being in a live setting, and they come damn close to doing as much even on record. Beware of the first full length!
(Fred Bevan)
[Read Our Review]
15) Eluvium | Copia
United States
 
Temporary Residence
Over his musical career, Mathew Cooper has explored the realms of minimalistic piano and slow droned ambiance. One thing is certain, no matter what Cooper puts his mind to he accomplishes. Copia is his first release that truly features him combining everything he has learned about his musical genius in the four years he has been releasing music. Delicately played piano is accompanied by sensual drones, creating an atmosphere like no other. While fans of his past work may need to listen to Copia a little more in order to truly get its full effect, there's no doubt that at the end of Cooper's musical road Copia will be viewed as one of his best accomplishments.
(Erich Meister)
[Read Our Review]
14) Christopher Willits and Ryuichi Sakamoto | Ocean Fire
United States/Japan
  
Common / 12k
Submerge your head underwater, let your ears breathe on whatever sound it can and you might just understand the essence of Ocean Fire. Christopher Willits and Ryuichi Sakamoto collaborate on this series of seamless enveloping pieces which, for the more dramatically inclined, drown the listener in a relentless tone of ominous yet comforting far-traveled frequencies. One who scrutinizes the title could see that it is no coincidence the title is so apt, not just in the underwater analogy, but in its irony, an irony contained in the impossible clarity of such gorgeous higher melodies in a submerged state but exist no less. Willits and Sakamoto exemplify, and moreover justify, the strong presence of ambient works in the crowning achievements of 2007.
(Mac Nguyen)
[Read Our Review]
13) The Pirate Ship Quintet | The Pirate Ship Quintet
England
 
Sound Devastation
Pirates definitely have the leg up in the post-rock world (ninjas what?). The Pirate Ship Quintet continue the tradition of excellent debuts from British instrumental bands (2006: Blueneck; 2005: Yndi Halda, Upc Downc, 2004: 65daysofstatic) with this year's most potent album in all the isle. With a collection of skilled musicians, diverse song-writing, experimental inclinations, and hatred of equine animals, there's little that can stop this psuedo-quintet. Their self-titled EP contains three monstrous tracks, each showing a different side and strength of the band and reaffirming out belief that rocking the fuck out will always be trendy. Our hats off to this fine act, lest they make us walk the plank.
(Jordan Volz)
[Read Our Review]
12) Olafur Arnalds | Eulogy for Evolution
Iceland
 
Erased Tapes
There’s something peculiarly sad about piano and strings, and Iceland’s boy wonder Olafur Arnalds seems to have learned this lesson well. His debut, Eulogy for Evolution, succeeds in being a highly emotional affair, delicate and soul shifting on one hand, dynamic and determined on the other, for when drums and guitars eventually kick in, the orchestral experience breaks through the heavens. Leitmotifs abound, Olafur manages to steal the post-rock show by building his album on solid classical music foundations, which immediately grants great appeal to more niches of listeners.
(Diana Sitaru)
[Read Our Review]
11) Stars of the Lid | And Their Refinement of the Decline
United States
 
Kranky
With their second double-album, And Their Refinement of the Decline, Stars of the Lid have done what the best ambient artists do, and composed a set of songs that seem to emerge out of the air, sounding as though they've always existed. That they've done so once already only makes the feat that much more impressive. Influences from electronic, classical, and drone coalesce seamlessly into something that makes these distinctions meaningless. Deceptively simple, and peerless in its meticulous beauty, it's one of the very few albums I've heard this year that I'd call important.
(Lucas Kane)
[Read Our Review]
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