An article by The Silent Ballet Staff
30) Giants | They, The Undeserving
United States
 
Medical Abuse
With flawless musicianship and addictive song structures that will either make you drool or weep due to their astounding beauty, They, The Undeserving is a meticulously crafted roller coaster of instrumental rock containing every emotion that can be felt in a lifetime.
Properly putting Iowa on the map for guitar driven post-rock, Giants demonstrate the sincerity of Midwestern life and introduce the listener the the exhilarating highs and lows of their remarkable narrative. This is just the tip of the iceberg for this young band; greater things are just over the horizon.
(Leanne Simpson)
[Read Our Review]
29) Small Sails | Similar Anniversaries
United States
 
Other Electricities
Certain albums are geared toward certain times of the year, Similar Anniversaries is one such album. The debut release from the Portland project Small Sails is a perfect blend of catchy guitar riffs and simple supporting vocals combining to make an album fit for summer. Catchy electronics draw in the listener while the simplicity keeps him coming back for more. It's hard to find another album from this year that continuously grows on its listener from the first listen to the hundredth listen.
(Erich Meister)
[Read Our Review]
28) Scraps of Tape | This is a Copy is This a Copy
Sweden
 
TenderVersion
While I could never quite work out whether or not the title of this album was a statement about the relative banality found in post-rock, I never had much doubt that this was a fantastic album. Guitars go right for the throat in tracks like "Death as it Should Be," "How Your Heart Gets Thrown," and "Since All the Birds are Moving, Shouldn't We?" and then has a gentler side on tracks such as "Hands in Air," "Liege MG," and "Vibrancy." Let's also not forget the vocal heavy tracks; there's a strong argument that "Thirteen Thousand" is the best track found here. But the real story is how much Scraps of Tape have changed since their debut album, learning to function with a wider array of styles and emotions and bringing together a coherent, powerful album which plants this quartet as one of Sweden's mightiest acts.
(Lee Whitefield)
[Read Our Review]
27) Mico Nonet | The Marmalade Balloon
United States
 
Self-Released
The Marmalade Balloon is the year's ultimate flirtation with subtlety and seductiveness. Existing somewhere between the neo-classical and the ambient, Mico Nonet fashion a world that is hazy and succinct, at times dark and haunting and others playful and inspiring, but always open to personal interpretation. The balance between musicians is gracefully maintained, where neither the electronics nor the strings are ever overly pronounced as to withdraw the listener from the intoxicating, spellbinding trance which The Marmalade Balloon invokes. The future will certainly take this musical act on a variety of different presentations, but with their strong understanding of musical space and development, we're confident that they'll be a favorite for years to come.
(Jordan Volz)
[Read Our Review]
26) World's End Girlfriend | Hurtbreak Wonderland
Japan
 
Human Highway
Katsuhiko Maeda, the brain behind World's End Girlfriend, has done it again, this time more graceful and intricate than ever before. His Hurtbreak Wonderland is an eclectic journey through genres, where instruments complement each other in creating the most bizarre and cinematic soundscapes imaginable. From saxophone to harp, this album seems to encompass every quirky sound available, spinning each into a new and magical experience. As it manages to construct an extremely layered and challenging atmosphere without losing focus, Hurtbreak Wonderland doesn't quite sound like a musical effort, but rather an artistic accomplishment.
(Diana Sitaru)
[Read Our Review]
25) Marsen Jules | Golden
Germany
 
Genesungswerk
Enriched with beauty, Golden is an engaging work of delicate piano pieces, electronic glitches, and carefully plucked guitar strings. The art of layering and arranging instruments is demonstrated beautifully within the seven pieces, and the acoustic and electronic elements flow together with ease. An incredible sense of warmth radiates from the album, much like the golden rays of a sunrise or sunset.
Clarity of composition is again at the forefront of the artist's mind, and although the pieces may seem obtuse on a very perfunctory level, it becomes evident that Jules is offering perhaps his most coherent and satisfying work of art yet. Golden is completely captivating from start to finish.
(Leanne Simpson)
[Marsen Jules]
24) Harold Budd & Robin Guthrie | Before the Day Breaks & After the Night Falls
United States/Scotland
  
Darla
In the press release for this double release, Darla Records states that the two records in question are "not ambient." Although I would be inclined to suggest that, actually, they are, if we are to take Brian Eno's definition of ambient music to heart (as I think is only fair considering his role in its genesis) then perhaps the reasoning behind such a statement becomes a little clearer. Eno said that ambient music "must be as ignorable as it is interesting," and there is no way either of these two albums should be ignored. Guthrie and Budd produce the ultimate music to fall asleep to not in the sense that it will bore you to a slumber, but rather that it will engage your mind and coax in the onset of sleep. Both releases provide a soundtrack as opposed to background music, and the two work together perfectly.
(Fred Bevan)
[Read Our Review]
23) To Be a High Powered Executive | We Don't Want it Safe, We Want it Secret
United States
 
Rope a Dope
Coming on like a traditional incarnation of The Timeout Drawer, To Be A High Powered Executive’s employment of whimsical guitar progressions and synthetic bursts of machine-driven rock shone as beacons in 2007. The compositions themselves are invariably gentle affairs, neither punishing nor overtly straightforward, yet the variation of tone and direction evident in each piece is as invigorating and successful as any other record released this year; “Consummation” is a euphoric and driving behemoth, whereas “The King has Bled. We Have Slept, and Now We Must Wake” weaves the conventional grandiose nature of post-rock with a neo-classical taint of the haunting epic. If more bands had half the sophistication that TBAHPE exude, every year could be as memorable as this…
(Alex Bradshaw)
[Read Our Review]
22) Efterklang | Under Giant Trees
Denmark
 
Leaf
In a world where EPs usually tend to lack substance, Efterklang chose to reinvent the way we look at these small excursions and came up with Under Giant Trees, a halcyon manifesto of minimalism. The five tracks on their mini-album are far from being homogeneous or lacking proper development, instead we are treated to some of the most fully realized and meticulous song writing of the year, marked by an impressive cohesion attained by blending textured melodies with harmonic lines. Digging melancholia in a sophisticated mixture of piano, violins, cello, trumpet, and choirs, these elegant thirty minutes of pure bliss leave the listener craving for more, nevertheless gratified. Wonderful.
(Diana Sitaru)
[Read Our Review]
21) Battles | Mirrored
United States
 
Warp
For Battles, Mirrored was somewhat of a risk. As unpredictable and versatile as the band is, the progression from their electrical and beat-heavy EPs to fully blown driving and pulsating avant-rock is spectacularly overwhelming. Ditching broken drum machines in favor of broken microphones and vocoders (!), Battles’ ingenuity and scope surprised even the most seasoned of forecasters. Lead single “Atlas” set the bruising tone - glitching riffs and harmonics sat alongside playful vocal idiosyncrasies effortlessly; juggernauts, “Tonto” and “Tij”, coalesced the sum of a plethora of genres, while estranged ditties such as “Leyendecker” showcased their innate groundings in simplicity and structure.
As a whole, the record is a testament to compositional noise and meticulous musicianship. Mirrored wasn’t for everyone; but if you engaged it head on, forgave its oft over-reaching ambition, you were challenged with the one of the most rewarding records this year.
(Alex Bradshaw)
[Read Our Review]
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