An article by The Silent Ballet Staff
30) Autistici | Volume Objects
England
 
12k
Rarely does an inorganic album sound completely natural, but when it does happen, we’re in for quite a show. Autistici gathers the slightest sounds one can imagine and analyzes them under his electron microscope, bringing into existence a kaleidoscopic space. It is as though every time Volume Objects is spun, another of its many facets becomes transparent along with the multi-dimensional world it creates. Elegant and highly refined, the album is both intricate and expansive, a veritable cornucopia of sonic textures and digital processing perhaps unparalleled in modern times. The complex and subtle nature of Volume Objects is endlessly fascinating. (Diana Sitaru)
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29) Because of Ghosts | The Culture of Background Noise
Australia
 
Feral Media
As made apparent by the title, background noise fills this album, but in a good way. The Melbourne trio use every aspect of their instruments to create sound. Rattling, buzzing, creaking and random strums fill the listener's ears as primary melodies fade out. These “interludes” between each track, and sometimes even within, are just as engaging as the melodies themselves, which are indeed beautiful. The true centerpiece of the album, however, are the drums. The loose style Jacob Pearce uses works extremely well with the meandering guitar and bass of his two brothers -- it’s no surprise that the three are all related. The way they compliment and feed off each other is truly something to behold. (Brenton Dwyer)
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28) Richard Skelton | Marking Time
England
 
Preservation
It comes as no surprise that cello-wielding Richard Skelton’s first album under his own name has reached the formidable catalogue of Sydney's Preservation label. There is no home more appropriate for such an unhinging of an emotional and passionate musical performance, perhaps a rarity in the extended experimental and ambient worlds that are often more concerned with intellectually piloted musical ends than others. There is little else in the Laptop Folk/Americana section of the local record store that will succeed so well in capturing the heart as well as the ear. Skelton has outdone himself in Marking Time. (Marcus Whale)
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27) Strangers Die Every Day | Aperture for Departure
United States
 
This Generation Tapes
In light of the ever-so universal description of post-rock as a means of non-traditional expression of rock instruments, Portland’s Strangers Die Every Day capture and transform this notion with their own sense of relationship between genre and instrumentation from the perspective of a dominant chamber foundation. Unlike most of their string-driven contemporaries who use the component as a complementary aesthetic to the prevalent guitar, Strangers employ the blissful sounds of a cello and violin in lieu of the absent guitars and leave intact a rhythm section of bass and drums to create a fluid blend of rock and chamber. Strangers’ less conventional methodological structure shouldn’t detract from their eerie adherence to the code of catharsis, crafting Aperture for Departure as a rich, long-playing narrative that is balanced by both the select choice of titles and an apocalyptic combination of chamber-rock textures worthy of post-rock string champions Rachel’s and Godspeed. (Mac Nguyen)
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26) The Seven Mile Journey | The Metamorphosis Project
Denmark
 
Pumpkins Seeds in the Sand
There are few records so capable of capturing a listener's imagination, of holding their attention so closely through the sheer power of the music, that they actually start to see the music as pictures in their mind. The Seven Mile Journey have turned out an impressive bit of post-rock wizardry with The Metamorphosis Project, a steadily-mounting cavalcade of sounds that merit adjectives like 'ethereal' and 'other-worldly'. There are some odd turns over the course of the album, but in the spirit of metamorphosis, every change serves to move it forward towards a final end that is undeniably potent. (Lee Stablein)
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25) My Education | Bad Vibrations
United States
 
Strange Attractors
With the folk revolution sprouting everywhere over the past few years, it was only a matter of time before someone in the post-rock world got the bright idea to incorporate similar elements into their own compositions. The trick is, it’s got to be the right band, or the results are bound to be just as bland as the latest indie-folk band-of-the-month. My Education has proven themselves to be that band by wedding the aforementioned folk elements with ambient sensibilities and some good old-fashioned post-rock on top. The result is nothing less than spectacular – addictive guitar lines slowly wind their way into the listener’s consciousness, making room for more mind-expanding American-style dusty breakdowns. Japancakes should be proud – they’ve finally got some competition. (Zach Mills)
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24) Beneva Vs. Clark Nova | Sombunall
Norway
 
Fenetre
Beneva Vs. Clark Nova have a penchant for taking something as normal as a piano line, acoustic guitar note, or even the human voice and morphing it into something barely recognizable. These restructured organic sounds are the building blocks for the duo’s debut full length, Sombunall. They accompany catchy yet subdued melodies all glued together by meticulously crafted 500bpm Autechre-inspired beats. There are many different facets waiting to be explored on this album; the excellent “88 Kilos of Excrement” or the dreamy pop tune “His Freefloating Affection” demonstrate the group ’s wide versatility. With the talent and range these two have, it is a sure bet that we’ll be hearing another incredible release from them sometime soon. (Brenton Dwyer)
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23) Level | Opale
United States
 
Spekk
Opale is a broken mirror, with its shards lying on the ground, reflecting the stars. Each individual piece, or track, is reflecting a similar scene, a similar glance at what is apparently timeless, but actually set within the same temporal bonds that bind us all. It is simultaneously hopeful and dark, star-gazing yet consciously earth-bound, and these seemingly conflicting properties unified by what they are – a whole album, made up of distinct pieces of an entire work. Its brokenness is what unifies it, and what allows the listener to see so many aspects of a moment that could so easily pass by, unnoticed. The album is an ambient experience to be savored, just as those frozen moments that only stand out in hindsight – don’t let either of them pass by. (Zach Mills)
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22) Guapo | Elixirs
England
 
Neurot
Guapo continue to explore their peculiar interpretation of a niche labeled Zeuhl on their latest album. Elixirs is the accumulation of all things good in the rock in opposition scene: hypnotic and haunting vocals, strings with an unclear ethnic origin, intelligent and dramatic sonic structures. Much like a fine wine, it's not for daily use, but rather something to cherish and indulge at just the right moment when it can bloom in full appreciation. Already called an avant-prog essential, this album is Guapo at its most vulnerable, looking back from where they came and stepping over that end into the unknown... and it pushed them to excellence. (Jurgen Verhasselt)
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21) Yasushi Yoshida | Little Grace
Japan
 
Noble
With its watercolor cover and tissue paper interior, Little Grace is a pretty package indeed. Fortunately, its beauty is more than skin deep. The music is keyboard-based and frequently contemplative, but when saxophone, strings, military drums, and bicycle wheels join in, the effect is euphoric. Little Grace straddles the space between classical and post-rock with passion and verve; Yasushi Yoshida has drastically matured his sound since Secret Figure, uncovering his own niche and flourishing as a result. Japan is surging in the compositional world, and Yoshida is helping to lead the charge. (Richard Allen)
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