 An article by The Silent Ballet staff
Rosetta is a quartet from Philadelphia who pushes the boundaries of post-metal. The band uses the same form of repetition and buildup typical of the post- genres, but it remains unique in its delivery by adding layers of atmospheric noise and samples to its space rock-themed music. 2005 saw the release of the successfully ambitious double album, The Galilean Satellites. Disc one demonstrates the metal side of the band by displaying its raw power and strong songwriting as layers of guitar swirl around the pounding drums to create dynamic and ferocious passages. The second CD contains tracks more focused on ambience and noise. Both CDs can be played simultaneously to provide a sonic attack on the senses, which heightens the overall effect of the album. With its mixture of space themes and swirling noise effect, Rosetta really did step out from the crowd. The band's second album, Wake/Lift, was released in 2007 and has a stripped-down sound with more attention given to the melodies. Rosetta has succeeded in being different from what has come before, and the band manages to create songs that are fresh and powerful. The quartet has finished the decade with two solid albums and shows no signs of letting up anytime soon. (Gary Davidson) 49) Sgt. So how exactly does one, with just three records squeezed in the past half decade, get to be one of the most important artists of the decade? Well, it helps to be as good as Sgt. are. Not only does the quartet have chops on par with anyone in the prog or jazz world, but over the past four years it has demonstrated the ability to write melodies (and less-melodic leads) with incredible maturity. Consequently, we in the worlds of criticism and fandom have sat up and taken notice. Both last year's Stylus Fantasticus and this year's Capital of Gravity garnered a good deal of praise, and with good reason. The mixture of jazz, post-rock, and electronics that Sgt. purveys is unique, original, and infective, not to mention exceptionally well executed. Here's to another decade of equally delectable art. (Lee Stablein) 48) Burial The lonely journey home on the night bus, rain coating the window against steel gray skies, the abandoned KFC wrapper on the pavement… as the 21st century sees people, cushioned by those ubiquitous white earphones, get more remote from one another - while conversely being more superficially connected than ever before - it is perhaps no surprise that Burial found himself soundtracking the more desolate moments in the public consciousness. The juddering bass lines are enough to tie the music in with the nascent dubstep scene, but across two albums, it is so much more, equally at home with the freshly minted hauntology movement. The disembodied wails, the found sounds, the woozy ambience - all contributed to the soundtrack of gritty and grimy urban living. For any who have wondered what the Replicates listened to in Bladerunner, it wasn't Vangelis - it was Burial. (Jeremy Bye) 47) Kayo Dot/maudlin of the Well Who would’ve thought that a Tiamat-inspired band directed by the principles of astral projection would become one of the most imposing avant-garde outfits in this decade’s popular music? Regardless of the discussion among fans that’s raged on ever since 2003, the transition between one band and the other is pretty clear: motW’s surrealism and prog metal approach had little place in a more deeply symbolist and vanguard-like sound and structure. Choirs of the Eye marked that division like an historical event; the band's sound transformed into an altogether new and innovative direction that no one else, up until today, is willing to explore. It’s a curious thing that, arguably, the best of maudlin came at the end of its life span (Bath, LYBM), while the best of Kayo Dot came at its very inception. This short period could seem to indicate a pinnacle in creativity, and yet after Blue Lambency Downwards and Part the Second, the collective of KD/motW keeps pushing the limits of its past achievements into exciting, unique territory. Whatever the future brings, this collective has already woven a heroic history of daring that generally works in the contextual periphery of a decade full of repetition and genre-trains. (David Murrieta) 46) Neil on Impression Neil On Impression has raised many eyebrows since 2006. Not because of how prolific it's been, but how prodigious. Any doubts about the group’s status would likely be extinguished by a listen to either The Perfect Tango or L'Oceano Delle Onde Che Restano Onde Per Sempre. The former brought the Italian septet instant attention due to its quality as a violent lullaby, while the latter improved so much with the addition of a member and only two years time that it seems unreal as a sophomore release. The group’s penchant for combining a scathing rock climax with classical orchestration is as cinematic as it is unlikely, as if two types of musicians met en route to different venues and merged. There are only two types of people when it comes to Neil On Impression: those who have already been swoon by the band's unique abilities or those who will be upon their first encounter. (Brendan Kraft) 45) UpcDownc Upcdownc takes the post-rock blueprint to heart but toys with it just a bit. Emotional explosions of sound are in no short supply, but neither are melodies that deserve to be belted out with distortion and a compliment of dual drummers. Lead lines are not left to strumming guitars laden with reverb and echo. Rather, the band's melodies are determined to be remembered and are enhanced by a wall of sound that screams an emotional release. Early albums generally have a wonderfully sweet beginning exposition that follows a natural progression to epic rock noise that is often complimented by an equally epic grouping of strings. Some songs last eight minutes, others four. Some have wicked bass lines, others have unforgettable melodies. But each song allows for either a build and epic release of emotion, as seen in the early albums, or no-nonsense rock in the later albums. Upcdownc has created a legacy that is a perfect blend of melodic delight and rock mayhem. (Greg Norte) 44) A Silver Mt. Zion Spearheaded by Efrim Menuck, A Silver Mt. Zion (in the resplendent glory of its numerous name variations) took over where Godspeed You! Black Emperor left off. Sure, there is some similarity in sound and style, which is bound to happen given the musical genetic link between the two groups. Whereas Godspeed has a harsh polemic edge to it and feels as though it may erupt in a riot at any moment, throwing Molotov Cocktails while barking anti-government mantras, ASMZ takes the sound to a higher, spiritual plane. This sound becomes so much more personal, and thus more deeply intense; the cacophony is stripped down and focused until it blazes like an aging star. With five albums released during the decade and another just on the horizon, Efrim and company’s strengths include staying power and quality. Though many heralded 13 Blues For Thirteen Moons to be the death knell of ASMZ’s reign, here at The Silent Ballet we wait to see how the band's future plays out with sweet anticipation. We hope to relive that first kiss of He Has Left Us Alone… like it were 2000 all over again! (Gabriel Bogart) 43) Japancakes A grouping of musicians as diverse as those who call themselves Japancakes are certainly destined to create interesting music. The life of Japancakes has brought with it improvised live shows to well-crafted albums and a cover of the My Bloody Valentine's classic Loveless. The band has explored a motif that is bright and full of life. Its sound is very round and encompasses a wide array of instruments, from pedal steel to cello. The pedal steel as lead creates some intensely sweet and powerful melodies that one can’t help but smile along to. But at the same time, songs can be moody and brooding. Organ and keys help offset the brightness of the pedal steel and complete a very rich overall sound that has continually stepped outside of any classifiable genre of music. Japancakes has made and followed its own musical path and has harnessed the creativity of many musicians to create unique and timeless music. (Greg Norte) 42) Murcof The beginning of the 21st Century has seen some grand, sweeping changes in electronic music. A style and set of genres born out of the hip hop sample culture and kraut rock began the millennium in a very unemotional manifestation. This music was made to dance to! Well, along came a whole squadron of knob twiddles, synth tweakers, and samplers who no longer felt they should be confined to the dance floor. Fernando Corona, aka Murcof and previously of the Nortec Collective, may have been the most influential and pioneering soul among the group. Even his first offering, Martes, stretched and tore the constraining embryonic layer of glitch until swashes of modern classical music were floating 4/4 rhythms down a stream of melancholy dreams. Three years later, Corona may have delivered his electronica/classical hybrid masterpiece in the form of Remembranza. The song “Rostro” on his sophomore effort may still be the most clearly stated love song in all of electronic music. That is how much emotional prowess and proliferation Corona imbues his music with. In praising his work with such Titanic terms, I truly do believe that we’ve only hit the tip of the iceberg. (Gabriel Bogart) 41) Taylor Deupree One cannot speak of the advancement of Eno’s Minimalism in the 21st century without Taylor Deupree, who, in keeping with the nature of his music, quietly escalated to become one of the most important electronic artists of the last decade. Deupree's prolific output from year to year and countless collaborations with impressive musicians, as well as appearances on aspiring electronic labels from around the world, are merely a few examples of his dedication in capturing the beauties that lie with the simplicities in life. The architect of the experimental sound art label, 12k, and the parallel, micro-sound explorations of Line, Taylor Deupree has designed a fusion of new ideas and modern sound engineering technology, thus creating the ability to produce art on an entirely new level. While artists like these may be heavily reliant on their electronic equipment to even garnish their found sounds, every great artist has typically shown that they are masters of their instrument. With Taylor, his time and place in the universe saw him at the forefront of digital technology, allowing his overwhelming talent to merge with new capabilities in ambient sound, becoming an influential key figure for the future of ambient and digital composition and sound design. (Brett Hayes)
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