Tracking the Trends is back again in the US to bring the best and brightest rising stars in the country. This time we're checking in with Carta, Giants, The Weak Men, Ours to Alibi, and Small Sails.

Carta
California
 

Even before its first proper release, Carta has seen a wild ride. Started as a one-man project, Carta was created under the guidance of Kyle Monday  as an outlet for his musical ambitions and quickly he began involving other individuals to make the music as full and vibrant as possible. Eventually the entirety of what would become the The Glass Bottom Boat was recorded and Monday began selling it himself over the internet and at shows. It didn't take long for word to get around about this wonderful disc, and shortly thereafter Resonant Label had signed Carta to its illustrious roster. And it's no wonder, the immense beauty of The Glass Bottom Boat quickly reveal itself. It's a gentle album that asks the listener to look inside itself to complete the missing pieces of the puzzle, but overall there's a wealth of material to adore. "Simultane" sparks to life like an light bulb receiving its first taste of electricity, and guitar melodies and tones are effortlessly sculpted by skilled hands. Over the course of the cd, guitar and ambience seems to dominate, but we see other contributions from strings and others, never really satisfied to settle on an established sound and instead focused on giving the listener all it can with every ounce of strength. Vocals even make an all too appropriate appearnace at the end of the album, which suitably concludes a wonderful record. The CD will finally see an official release on Resonant in the summer of this year, don't be the only one missing out.

Giants
Iowa
 

Bridging the works of greats such as Six Parts Seven, Explosions in the Sky, and Unwed Sailor, Giants have forged their sound in the heart of instrumental rock. With scratchy background ambience and the slow picking of a reverbed guitar, "Under the New Sun" wipes its sleepy eyes and greets the world. Authoritative drums accompany the mounting guitar lines and quickly Giants is up and running. "Steps in Static Progression" is the band at its best. At a mere four minutes, the track packs a short, sweet punch. Sharp, rising melodies create crisp waves that inevitably spill into "The Palace Stands in its Proper Place," which promptly inverts the structure and slowly fades out the trilogy. The last half of the album shows a more contemplative side, recalling standard post-rock sounds. The last set cumulates with "Withered Life, Communal Ruin," a glorious tour of the sounds of middle America. By far the longest piece the band has crafted, the wandering prose associated to its existance gives it an energetic, youthful soul. This is the exact energy that so well captures the band's essence. They, The Undeserving works as a whole because it's cast as a spontaneous creation and shys away from the demanding structure self-imposed upon confined artists in the genre. This is just the beginning; from humble roots sprout giants.

The Weak Men
Utah
  

After an unfortunate turn of events in 2006, The Weak Men found themselves with the majority of its gear stolen and an imminent tour canceled. All the frustrations and uncertainty that plagued the band during this time period was eventually channeled into the creation of their sophomore album, Dog. The tension running through Dog is so great that you can cut it with a knife. "Pasture" leads us into a false sense of security, and then "Longing" shakes the foundations of the world, threatening to tear us apart in the chaotic aftermath that spills out of the sonic landscape and into our ears and hearts. "We Fell Asleep" is a three part tale, slowly winding the listener into a tight ball of tension and fifteen minutes later letting it loose during the climatic "Abdomen." The beauty of the track is breathtaking, calling upon everything from male/female vocals to audio samples to drive the final point home. Fans of ef, Gregor Samsa, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor take note, this is a quickly rising star whose ambitions will quickly become too large for Utah. Soon the world will know of The Weak Men's cunningly originality.

Ours to Alibi
Georgia
 

Website | Music | Self-Released | Buy

Beacons is the third release from Atlanta's Ours to Alibi, and with it comes a drastic change in sound. The cloud-walking, lofty notes of past are now muddied with emotional anguish, digging the band deeply into an organic richness which brings a whole new dynamic to the music. The first two tracks introduce this stylistic change, as "The Dirt in a Womb" plants itself firmly into the ground while still reaching into the air with its free appendages. "These Roots are Anchors" cements the change, drawing from peers such as Sparrows Swarm and Sing and Grails in crafting a nightmarish track. Tempers rage, anger swells, and spirits are broken. It's a powerful force to behold. The whole album isn't all gloom and despair, as many earlier tracks have been re-recorded for the new effort. These pieces still contain much of their initial optimistic feel, which is a great thing for fans of Explosions in the Sky. The highlight of the album is certainly the title track; clocking in at over fifteen minutes, "Beacons" oozes subtlety, from the slow tremolo to the burning guitar effects and touches of xylophone, every inch of this track is wonderfully constructed. Emotionally, it's also the middle ground of the album, avoiding the soaring highs and penetrating lows, the tracks is simply content to rest in the middle of the road. Perhaps it's a good place to visit more often.

Small Sails
Portland

Pop fanatics will relish the comforting sounds of Similar Anniversaries. Formerly known as Adelaide, Small Sails reinvents the sound and style of the former project and creates a unique experience with its debut effort. The array of instruments used from track to track gives each its own special sound and feeling. From the uplifting horns of "Aftershocks and Afterthoughts" to the glitch happy "Corners," there is a strong electronic component to the band, but still an attentiveness to detail and variety that makes it a tangible listen. Ambient undertones reveal themselves in "Lawn makers" and "No Spirit Animal," but by and large the most successful tracks are ones with overwhelming pop sensibilities. "Earthbound with Parents" and "Backside of a Magnet" steal the show by inserting catchy vocal chanting on top of a base already filled with addicting hooks, synths, and a multitude of other instruments that just tear the listener away from whatever else is competing for his attention. And these are the tracks which go down smoothest -- days after playing them the listener still finds them deeply lodged inside the subconscious, wiggling around and playing constantly inside its head. Similar Anniversaries is a cd that begs to be played to obsession.

~Jordan Volz