An article by The Silent Ballet Staff
40) Gifts from Enola & You.May.Die.in.the.Desert | Harmonic Motion Volume I
United States
 
Differential Records
Every year we look forward to seeing how bands progress and mature as they develop, and this year two of post-rock’s young heroes came together to release their first work in two years. Back in those days, their individual albums created some waves and received positive press, but no one really knew how they would take the initial success. Harmonic Motion Volume 1 is You.May.Die.In.The.Desert and Gifts from Enola’s split release that quickly became an instant classic. With both band’s awe-inspiring first tracks and the raw energy they each put into this release, it has something for everyone. Watch out, both sides of the split show no signs that either band is slowing down any time soon. (Erich Meister)
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39) Balmorhea | Rivers Arms
United States
 
Western Vinyl
Unplug everything in the house, turn off all the fans, and disable anything that whirs or beeps or sucks energy from the grid. It's something we all wish we could do, if only the fight for satisfaction without the technologies of our times was a clear road. Balmorhea remind us that beautiful music doesn't require electricity, again, with their second full length, Rivers Arms. Piano, guitar, violin, cello, double bass, banjo, and even some throw-the-head-back vocals color Rivers Arms' watercolor collages. Pensive and emotional, this is essential listening, perfect for reminiscing and sorting through a box of old memories. (Nayt Keane)
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38) Robin Guthrie | 3:19
Scotland
 
Darla
Though this is only the second feature he has composed for, and the first on his own, it’s pretty evident that Robin Guthrie is a musician who was born to write scores. Guthrie’s original score 3:19 leans less towards the chilling subtlety and exquisite raw emotion of the collaboration with Harold Budd on Mysterious Skin, and more towards the glittery melodic offering of his solo works and, by extension, his past recordings as part of the legendary Cocteau Twins. Without discounting the soundtrack’s significance within the context of the relatively obscure film, the aptness of Guthrie’s signature sound seems merely incidental, removing the 3:19 score from the depths of an interchangeable existence and letting it stand on its own. (Mac Nguyen)
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37) Goldmund | The Malady of Elegance
United States
 
Type
Some of the most heart-wrenching, intimate solo piano work imaginable, The Malady of Elegance is another album of romantic passages from the vantage point, seemingly, of a cat taking a snooze inside the frame of the piano with its head resting near the hammers. Critics say that Keith Kenniff meanders too much through his Goldmund reflections, but he always arrives at resolution. The album utilizes motifs that have begun to reflect his work as Helios, which makes for interesting parallels between the classical and the electronica sides of Kenniff’s musical mind. Goldmund has long been a pet project, but with this release, it is becoming clear that we are a short step away from the next big thing. (Gabriel Bogart)
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36) The Abbasi Brothers | Something Like Nostalgia
United States
 
Dynamophone
There's this restaurant I love where the only drawback is the tasteless trip-hop and bad modern downtempo that can be heard in its interior. The place would be transformed by the soundtrack-like quality of the Abbasi Brothers' first album. Live and textural percussion support a melange of affected piano and guitar melodies that bring about a feeling of sumptuous nostalgia. Dreamy melodies saunter backward while the audience conjures up images of parents sending children off to college or a dead pet reappearing in a lovely dream. Every song on Something Like Nostalgia is a blissful experience, demonstrating the Abbasi Brothers' command of their medium, as well as its application to the conceptual. This is definitely not a record to miss out on. (Nayt Keane)
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35) The Evpatoria Report | Maar
Switzerland
 
Get a Life!
Comprised of only four tracks, with none less than eleven minutes in length, Maar is an album which may justify a Godspeed You! Black Emperor comparison without even hearing the music. The group does justify the reference, however, as they compose sprawling songs for guitar and strings which ebb and flow across many different sections and climaxes. Each part on the album is given the same careful attention to detail, which in turn allows the crescendos to be just as satisfying as the climaxes. As far as active practitioners of long form post-rock go, it’s tough to say anyone comes close to the brilliance of The Evpatoria Report. (Brenton Dwyer)
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34) Aidan Baker & Tim Hecker | Fantasma Parastasie
Canada/Canada
  
Alien8
Two of the biggest names in abstract minimalism get together to smear brains with distorted, drifting drone weather. Aidan Baker releases a record every two weeks on average, which is not only remarkable, but overwhelming for those keeping track. Tim Hecker is a bit more reserved in his output and crafts textured washes using fractured samples of guitars. Together, we get one of the most compelling sonic landscapes in recent memory. Baker and Hecker choose to go pretty "heavy" on this release, blowing sound out so far it crumbles over the horizon. While a lot of minimal/drone music emulates nature as songs evolve, build, and fall apart, Fantasma Parastasie takes us to another level in the tumultuous realm of creation and destruction, and it magically massages the mind. (Nayt Keane)
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33) Arms and Sleepers | Black Paris 86
United States
 
Expect Candy
Arms and Sleepers turned heads in 2008 with the mellow, warm, cerebral Black Paris 86. The album offers listeners a delightful fusion of ambient and electronic music that also provides jazzy undertones and catchy trip-hop beats. The record goes beyond listening pleasure, giving one mental images of beauty and tragedy alike that permeate the heart and soul. Their sound is unique and fresh, and the album as a whole is an entire spectrum of musical styles, ranging from ambient indie rock to hypnotic electronic tours de force. The magic in Black Paris 86, though, comes from the fact that all of these elements are offered so quietly and subtly. To listen to Black Paris 86 is to listen to a finely painted canvas of art. (Jessica Reuter)
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32) Hammock | Maybe They Will Sing for Us Tomorrow
United States
 
Darla
Maybe They Will Sing for Us Tomorrow is a surprise release from Hammock, an unintended musical duo who have carved out quite the niche for themselves in the ambient/drone world. Created to enhance the atmosphere of a Riceboy Sleeps exhibit after party, the album is every bit as sublime as its purpose suggests. Fans of drone or ambient will come back repeatedly to the eleven wandering and ethereal tracks that the two members describe as their “essence core.” And while this project may not be as immediate as Hammock's past work, the masterful hands with which the music is spun ensures that no detail is left to chance. Especially enjoyable to the faint of heart. (Brendan Kraft)
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31) Sumner McKane | What a Great Place to Be
United States
 
Self-Released
Sumner McKane has always been a proponent of nostalgia, crafting his works to evoke a feeling of homesickness that we can either dread, from the overwhelming sadness of isolation, or desire, because it allows a drawing of comfort from knowing a home exists. And although he tends to explore his native country, specifically his home state of Maine, McKane blesses us with a soundtrack that is both timeless and transcontinental. Four long players deep into his prolific career, the self-described composer, instrumentalist, and guitar instructor may have stumbled upon his magnum opus. Charming and alluring, poignant and hopeful, finely composed and technically specific, What a Great Place to Be is a title that could not accurately reflect one’s sentiments any better. (Mac Nguyen)
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