An article by The Silent Ballet Staff

Beast, Please Be Still | Beast, Please Be Still
United States

Beep Repaired

With guitar, drums, violin, glockenspiel, and flute, Beast, Please Be Still bring an impressive arsenal on their self-titled debut that would make Ian Anderson proud. This Seattle band is sometimes dramatic and sometimes playful, but always confident and on cue. Unexpected tempo shifts and creative instrumentation are in full abundance here, demonstrating that post-rock in 2008 is neither stagnant nor staid. BPBS restores to the scene a sense of fun and gives us hope for a future filled with smilodon smiles. (Richard Allen)

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Bosques de mi Mente | Ruido Blanco
Spain

Self-Released

Ruido Blanco is more akin to a piano sonata than an ambient album. Found sounds and ambient infused interludes give a sense of music concrète, yet the lyrical, moving piano melodies often accompanied by cello give the album stunning focus and direction. To the listener's delight, Ruido Blanco does not rely on catchy hooks or bursts of dynamic change; rather Bosques de mi Mente favors overall dynamics and complex yet lovely melodies that tantalize as much as they soothe. (Greg Norte)

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Burning Star Core | Challenger
United States

Plastic

Always rotating the contributors of his Burning Star Core project, C. Spencer Yeh gets back to the solo side of things for this most challenging record. As is often the case with great art, our favorite works are the ones that push us somewhere previously deemed uncomfortable. BSC consistently presents sound that blows the expectations of what a "song" is, and while Challenger is no exception, it is most exceptional. Calling it "experimental" is both useless and an understatement. As it goes from gorgeous, muffled drones to a rip tide of tangled and overlapping distortions or an electric-shock-inducing bubble wrap party/metal marble rainstorm, I cannot imagine hearing a more bizarre and rewarding album this year. (Nayt Keane)

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Canyonsofstatic | The Disappearance
United States

Former Airline

Fresh from the harsh snowy winters of the American Midwest comes Canyonsofstatic. Their debut album is stirring and defiant post-rock, a melange of claustrophobic melodies and cathartic release. While many other acts in the genre were eager to ape their influences shamelessly this year, this Wisconsin quartet transcended theirs, and with The Disappearance they firmly placed their flag on the metaphorical mound. The Disappearance is a joyous reminder of why we love this kind of music in the first place. (Peter Brennan)

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Collections of Colonies of Bees | Birds
United States

Table of the Elements

Birds portrays a new wave of instrumental music, one full of electronic, glitch-like experiments with digitalized fragments of sounds added to a very solid rock foundation. Make no mistake, though, this makes no clutter; on the contrary, there’s a clarity to this music that only the fully conscious, methodic layering of guitar tones and electronica can achieve. It is, as the name implies, like watching flocks of birds in the sky: there are dozens of individual animals, and yet, they move like a single, organic entity -- one that marvels the human eye, or in the case of this music, the human ear. (David Murrieta)

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Detektivbyrån | Wermland
Sweden

Danarkia/Self-Released

Wermland is perhaps the most enjoyable release of the year. Detektivbyrån write catchy, poppy tunes with underused instruments (see: accordion, music box) and a whole lot of sincerity. Though it’s tempting to write music like this off as “quirky,” don’t make such a mistake – the quirks may be there, but it is still an accomplished release, and an absolute joy to hear. The songs are varied in tone and substance, but always contribute to the main goal – sheer enjoyment. It’s hard to suppress a smile when the album opens, and it’s hard to stop it once it has begun. (Zach Mills)

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Equus | Eutheria
Switzerland

Get a Life!

This all-inclusive project is a kind of prog-post-rock paradise that wields a powerfully poetic and scientifically tragic vision of humanity that draws from a wide palette of sounds, resulting in slow, inevitably long pieces that recall bands as diverse as Shora and The Evpatoria Report. Building up along sixty five minutes of subtle displays of cunning craftsmanship, Eutheria engages the audience at levels that speak of primitive times. As it reveals our primeval memories of animals abstracted into painted cave walls, we start to find the fossils familiar and begin to see our very own future in them – the tragedy unveils, and it is, at the lowest level of evolution, a deeply enthralling experience. (David Murrieta)

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Giants | Old Stories
United States

Cavity

The sound heard on Old Stories, the second album by Giants, is that of a band finally fulfilling their potential to deliver a album of soaring majesty. Over their past releases, they have had their moments, but Giants failed to deliver a consistent quality, only threatening to emerge as one of the leading lights in the post-rock movement. Here, that threat is fully realized; from the slowly building crescendo of “While the Ages Steal” to the melody driven “Sleeping False Idol,” there is no doubting that Giants have well and truly arrived and are here to stay. (James Ould)

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God is an Astronaut | God is an Astronaut
Ireland

Revive

In only a few years, God is An Astronaut have set a new standard for the newly minted post-rock outfit. This year’s self-titled album finds the band finishing the foundation for which they broke ground on 2007’s Take Refuge. Those who cherish a clean and polished sound should be enthralled with the work on GIAA's latest. Regardless of one's stance on fidelity, this spit-shine beauty should be beheld. (Brendan Kraft)

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Lakes of Russia | Stars Decorate the Fire
Australia

Afterdark

It's amazing how much raw emotion one can channel through a single instrument. Barely helped by a few pedals and strings, Jake McMinn's guitar tells a tale of deep calmness and builds up an atmosphere layer by layer that gradually envelops the listener. Each sound reflects itself; every note slowly fades away to be replaced by the next one, and suddenly the listener becomes one with the sound, nurtured by it. Rarely has an instrumental artist been so intimately accessible. (Samy Bennaoui)

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Lawrence English | Kiri No Oto
Australia

Touch

This is the music barnacled cars listen to as sand and wind whips through their skeletons on an isolated beach. When humans are not around, life exists in ways we couldn't possibly know. "Bleak," "Mysterious," and "Subtle" all could be applied to the unknown forces we never witness, and they can be applied to Lawrence English's Kiri No Oto, a sound document that puts the listener's position in flux with its foggy, distorted atmospheres. The title loosely translates to "the sound of mist," as this is a project commenting on the environments of the world that undergo extreme mists, snowstorms and sea sprays. (Nayt Keane)

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Le Chat Blanc Orchestra | Ste-Claire Hotel
Canada

Make Mine

Working in a post Stars of the Lid environment, Le Chat Blanc Orchestra have the challenge of offering something relevant and fresh in the ambient realm. The task is accomplished with the implementation of complex tonal experimentations and subtle chord progressions that would make the most experienced ambient producers pine in envy. The duo still has some work to do until they're leading the pack, but Ste-Claire Hotel shows that we won't be waiting much longer. (Lee Whitefield)

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Mooncake | Lagrange Points
Russia

Cavity

Straightforwardness is an underrated virtue. As we approach an era where to-the-point items no longer carry merit and clichés constantly need to undergo revisions that are often to no avail, Moscow’s Mooncake remind us of what it was like to be into something without having to acknowledge an undercurrent of intense competitive one-upmanship between parties striving to make something old new. Alas, progression is inevitable, and while this is primarily just a hopeless romanticizing of post-rock history, Lagrange Points is a noble pursuit in its concise albeit epic summation of a simple instrumental framework and the effective experience of catharsis. (Mac Nguyen)

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Ólafur Arnalds | Variations of Static
Iceland

Erased Tapes

Unlike other forms of music where the innovative usage of sounds can often conceal the lack of composing talent, this is not true for neo-classical musicians. It is a bit of a cliché to compare every piece of music from Iceland to the awe one feels when encountering the fjords of this country, but if the cliché is true for someone, it is for Mr. Arnalds. However, if there is something that makes these five compositions worthy of listening, it is his ability to combine sweeping melancholic melodies and majestic atmospheres, without resorting to clichés. (John Kontos)

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Pg. Lost | It's Not Me, It's You
Sweden

Octave

It’s Not Me, It’s You! utilizes crippling dynamics to create a powerful and ruckus album. However, rather than just making the previous idea louder, Pg. Lost evolves new themes that happen to be much louder and distorted than the previous theme. The guitar work is sweet yet complex and the layers merge together to create a robust, dynamic sound. Melody is not lost in the complexity and the album maintains a unique and forceful drive without losing creative intensity. (Greg Norte)

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Russian Circles | Station
United States

Suicide Squeeze

While the pallid inhabitants of internet forums continue to argue over exactly how Russian Circles should be categorized, let it simply be known that those after an album to variously caress and pound unthinkingly on their eardrums need look no further than Station. From the uninhibited headbanger’s dream of a title track to the expansive thoughtfulness of opener “Campaign,” this is a record which covers every possible base and demonstrates the unquestionable versatility of the three-piece. (Fred Bevan)

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Ryoga | Ryoga
England

Self Released

Although numerous bands will populate the interiors of The Silent Ballet's best of 2008 article, it's likely that few of them will emphasize the "rock" as much as Ryoga. This quartet seemingly came out of nowhere this year and took the scene by storm, offering up one of the most refreshing, energetic blend of electro-rock since 65daysofstatic first emerged. Amazingly, a second EP later demonstrated how vocals can fit snugly into the band's sound, but it's still the debut instrumental work that has us buzzing. (Lee Whitefield)

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Sleepmakeswaves | In Today Already Walks Tomorrow
Australia

Self-Released

By their own admission, Australia’s sleepmakeswaves are a band of “cinematic” proportions. Taking an instantly recognizable post-rock sound and infusing it with their own blend of glitchy electronica and bone-crushing metal, In Today Already Walks Tomorrow sounds astoundingly confident for a debut EP. Through simultaneously embracing and avoiding over-use of the genre’s hallmarks, it is a particularly memorable record and one which is most deserving of its title as one of the finest post-rock releases this year. (Fred Bevan)

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Sparkle in Grey | A Quiet Place
Italy

Disasters by Choice

Milano’s Sparkle in Grey fuse Hue’s cornucopia of sounds with melodies and beats, creating an engaging and complex record. Produced and mastered by the one and only Giuseppe Ielasi, A Quiet Place is the epitome of a well-executed headphone record. Originally a solo project of Hue (Matteo Uggeri) this is their first release as a proper four-piece band, though not in any conventional sense. A Quiet Place is a melancholic mix of found sound, field recordings, more conventional instrumentation, electronics, and downright noise. Most of life is cloudy, but these ragazzi Italiani insist on finding the sparkle in the grey. Somehow, something very beautiful emerges, and despite the kitchen sink mentality, the listener is transported to a quiet place. (Joe Sannicandro)

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Stephan Mathieu | RADIOLAND
Germany

Die Schachtel

Transcendence can't come from a series of recognizable notes strung together – such notes are too grounded in the world we experience every day to be a vehicle to the next. While many ambient composers attempt (quite rightly) to compose music for the mundane, Stephan Mathieu uses his medium to attempt to achieve the transcendent. By isolating his listeners from recognizable connections to the world of the profane, Mathieu attempts to take his listeners on a mystical journey into a world beyond this one, his “Radioland.” What's even more inspiring is that, with his trio of “archangel” tracks, Mathieu just might achieve this lofty goal. The drones of RADIOLAND are close to the voice of the heavens – it's as simple as that. (Zach Mills)

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The Absent Sound | Gathering of the Clan Mothers
Canada

Self-Released

We're not positive when Gathering of the Clan Mothers "officially" came out, but this year seems as good as any other. The Absent Sound have definitely put in the requisite time over the past couple of releases to finally begin to push through with its own unique vision of the post-rock album. While it's often difficult for Canadian instrumental bands to escape the overbearing shadows in the Montreal scene, The Gathering of the Clan Mothers indicates that this band is on the brink of their breakout album. Have no doubts about it, The Absent Sound is destined for great things. (Lee Whitefield)

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The Flashbulb | Soundtrack to a Vacant Life
United States

Alpha Basic

In his most ambitious effort, Benn Jordan deviates slightly from his electronica roots to experiment with prog rock, country/western, and solo piano pieces. This unlikely mix of sounds allows him to expand his palette and make his music more universal. However, Jordan doesn’t abandon his IDM roots completely, which makes the success of this album even more puzzling. While Soundtrack to a Vacant Life, there is something for everyone, regardless of what it is that makes one's life feel vacant. (John Kontos)

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The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble | Mutations
Netherlands

Ad Noiseum

Mutations is so sleek, easing in with dark, minor tones that are simultaneously sultry and threatening. TKDE show a lot more of their electronic side on Mutations than previously, but they maintain the 'darkjazz' sound admirably, with bright, soulful horns and a tight, groove-heavy rhythm section. After gaining momentum in the middle and roaring through "Twisted Horizons," the album calms down and ebbs out much the way it came in, leaving the listener with resolution and a taste of the exotic. (Lee Stablein)

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Tobias Hellkvist | Sides
Sweden

Self Released

Mr. Hellkvist proves to be a Jack of all trades on his latest album, Sides. The tracks skip around from the ambient and electronic to the folk and indie-rock oriented, but all forms are covered with a mastery that only a highly skilled musician could achieve. Post-rock and ambient fans will likely find the more accessible, pop-centered material to be a bit of a wash, but be careful not to overlook the accessibility of the album. Sides frequently ventures into highly experimental territory, and the ability to successfully couple that with some sugary sweet melodies should not be underestimated. (Lee Whitefield)

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We're From Japan | Now Breathe
United States

Zankyo

It should be forbidden by law to transpose a revolution into musical form. Fortunately, it is not, and We’re from Japan make use of this right and deliver a thousand wars of independence, turning each simple note into a proper big bang of sound. While certainly not singular, the album deluges with all sorts of explosions, blasting against every interior wall and allowing the listener to think he can escape for a second, just before the bomb starts ticking again. It’s all a mind game and they play it well. Now breathe, if you can. (Diana Sitaru)

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