UNTIL SUNRISE

Where does Progressive meet Post Rock? It is at the crest of Until Sunrise. This is probably my favorite new band of 2010. They have managed to create the perfect blend of Post Rock and Progressive. While there are some production problems with the debut release, the compositions are fantastic. This album is highly recommended for Post Rock and Progressive Fans alike.

The band consists of three permanent members; Joe Dorsey on Lead Guitar and Key Boards, Sam Dorsey on Drums and Tanner Beard on Bass with frequent guests appearance by David Glaze on Ambient Guitars and Sayre Pose on Violin.

Sunset has the classic Post Rock sound. The blend of rhythm and ambiance guitars creates a singular mystical melody joined by the driving base and drums resulting in an interesting opening to the new album. The song is introduced with an a distorted ambiance that almost sounds like an enthusiastic crowd applauding the sunset and getting more excited as the star dives below the horizon; ending with an ultra low base sound signaling the final decent of the sun. The song progresses with a sliding sounding guitar which ushers in the ever-building onset of darkness.

Pink is more developed and refined. It is the ultimate hipster song. It starts with a very catchy guitar rif that continues to build into a sort-of Pink Floyd-ish power chill song. The song is relaxing, but never gets boring. As the sun approaches the horizon, the sky turns pink. The daytime is pounded down into the ground by twilight.

Midnight comes powering in with the prime-mortal drumming. Scary ambience kicks in and then a haunting guitar picking in sync with the bass that carries the song on into the deepening abyss. It is clear that this is the turning point in the theme. The listener is taken from the involved complacency of the floating sounds of Sunset and Pink to a manic Midnight which sets the stage for the songs to come. The song evolves from a spooky setting to a crazy climax with crashing symbols and thumping base releasing incredible amounts of energy all the way until the end.

Then the listener is wide awake; waiting for the next movement. Insomnia is the natural progression. It starts with a very unique jamming jazz progression. There is a moment when the guitars and bass come together into a perfect ROCK unison moving the song to the next phase. It turns metal for a few moments and pounds on for a few moments before the jazz core returns. Then there are a few King Crimson moments before the song migrates into a beautiful melodic finale. Starting very manic and awake we are now lulled towards sleep.

Now falling into a deep slumber we are carried off into the epic "As the City Quietly Sleeps". We are drifting away from the Insomnia. The song slowly ramps into a rolling funky progressive tune that is reminiscent of a Porcupine Tree tune colliding with God Speed Black Emperor song. Math rock kicks in with a 80s King Crimson guitar progressions and complex rolling bass line. Then the song suddenly crashes; devolving into very interesting ambiance which has guitar rif rising and falling into perfection. Well if that is not enough, the theme continuous with the piano leading the rest of the band to the final movement joined by the beautiful violin of Sayre. While the song could use a little more polish, the core theme is maintained throughout and it has all of the hallmarks of the traditional ultra-long progressive epics of the past. This song has huge potential as a re-release and may be the best composition on the album.

This song is followed by the Maudlin Interlude; which is a refreshing acoustic guitar break from the busier progressive psychedelic deliriums which proceeded. The song is short yet complete. The acoustic guitar is beautiful accompanied by bells and harmonica. The unusual application of the instruments is sure to catch the attention of the post rock crowd. The most discriminating ear is certain to appreciate the musicality of the song. Also the production is less raw, which will certainly have more appeal to the masses.

Sunrise explodes over the horizon. The heavy lead guitar makes it clear that morning has arrived. This song has a few production flaws, but in general may be one of the most thoughtful songs on the album. The song starts with the sounds of morning. The ambience sounds like birds and green grass are followed by sliding guitar. The sun is lifted into the sky with the movements of Sunrise. As an older prog rocker I am slightly reminded of "and you and I".

First Signs of Summer is certainly a Sunrise interlude. The song is bright and cheerful. It is another acoustic masterpiece and brings us further into the day.

The finale is incredible. The classical training of these young musicians shines through again here. The song is led by a catchy bass riffs, followed by jazzy drums and building piano. The song is happy. Nostalgic Moment is the perfect ending to the album. The listener is obviously drawn into back into slumber. There is a blue sky and warm sun, but it is now time to nap and catch up on the sleep lost from the Insomnia. A final and distinct piano note of D sharply and appropriately ends the album.

The composition and coherence of the album is incredible for such a young band and what was apparently an armature recording environment yields a pretty good work. The musical compositions are very impressive given their ages, and the classical/Jazz music training is evident.

I have heard this young band play on Delicious Agony Internet Radio twice. Rumor has it that they will be playing a 45 minute live set on the Radio in Opposition show on NPR radio in Pennsylvania by tuning into 88.1 FM Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania on 93.9 FM, Easton/Phillipsburg, 93.7 FM Fogelsville/Trexlertown or listening to live stream on http://www.wdiy.org/listen/.

There is no doubt that the recording is raw, but maybe that is part of the charm for me. Until Sunrise is the type of album that grows on you with every listen. I have personally put it on my iPod and listen to it routinely while exercising. I highly recommend adding it to your collection.

**Note: I heard the "remastered" edition, and now I am giving this 5 stars

Until Sunrise - Self Titled

This brand new post rock band released their debut in the late summer of 2010. This is a really promising first release for such a young band (the oldest being 18 and the youngest being 13). Although there are production problems, the album holds its own and the songwriting is very masterful and mature.

Sunset - A standard post rock song, which makes for a great opening to the album. Very TWDY esque.

Pink - A very catchy and cool track. Builds perfectly to a large climax in the end

Midnight - A great balance between ambiance and drive. Ethereal guitar lines, a driving baseline, and pounding drums make for a great track

Insomnia - One of the proggiest tracks. And very energetic. Some interesting jazz influences toward the beginning turns into a very powerful Isis-like buildup in the second half.

As the City Quietly Sleeps - This is the monster centerpiece of the album. It begins slow, but then explodes with walls of distortion. There is a big climax at about the 7 minute mark. Then an ambient GY!BE sounding section makes for an interesting bridge to After This Life, which begins with a quiet rolling bass line. The song builds: drums, then piano, then violin, and then a very big finale. This song inhibited by the production, but otherwise a very epic track.

A Maudlin Interlude - Reviewer Connor Fynes puts it perfectly. An beautifully organic acoustic track, and the motW influence shows.

Sunrise - A very psychedelic influenced track with acoustic and distorted guitars with some horns toward the end

First Signs of Summer - The shortest track serves as almost a reprise of Sunrise. Pretty track.

Nostalgic Moment - The final track. Once again, a rolling bass line that builds into a climax. Very ambient guitar-work toward the end. The song ends with a huge amount of distortion the same way Sunset began giving the album closure.

Overall, this a great debut that is held back by some production problems. I feel like some very promising music will come out Until Sunrise in years to come.

Songwriting - 5/5 Production - 2.5/5 Performance - 4/5 Creativity - 4.5/5

Standout tracks: Pink, A Maudlin Interlude, Midnight, After This Life

Score 4/5

'Until Sunrise' - Until Sunrise (6/10)

As a popular and increasingly crowded form of progressive music, the realm of post-rock has expanded far beyond it's underground roots, now flowing into parts of the indie mainstream. Bands like Sigur Rós, Explosions In The Sky, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor have all captured the hearts of listeners who otherwise wouldn't have much to do with the prog rock scene. For it's concentration on feeling and atmosphere over everything else, there have been legions of bands that have come to try their hand at fashioning some post-rock of their own; some going on to do beautiful things, but many falling into a passive state of mediocrity. Hailing from Maryland, young rockers Until Sunrise show a measure of promise beyond many of their peers, and although this charming debut album has a fair deal of flaws to it's name, there's the undeniable feeling that with a little extra polish, this talented act could do amazing things.

Throughout the course of this self-titled release, Until Sunrise cycles through sounding like alot of the giants that made the genre so popular to begin with. While the sound here isn't incredibly unique however, Until Sunrise impresses with some very keen performing skills. Keeping in mind that at the time of recording this, the ages of the musicians ranges from 18 to as low as 13 years, the fact that such young artists can put a cohesive piece of work together is a feat all it's own. Each musician here is very inspired at playing his respective instrument. On a particularly impressive note is the skilled percussive work of Sam Dorsey, who for such a young musician, earns alot more emphasis and attention for his work than many other established drummers in post-rock. The guitar and bass work here is a bit more conventional for the genre, but very well done. Soaring guitar atmospherics of Joe Dorsey tear through the sound, being held down tightly by the catchy bass playing of Tanner Beard.

The songwriting here ranges from decent to excellent. The Sigur Rós-style ambiance of 'Sunset' is a beautiful opener to the album, and leads in well to 'Pink,' which despite being ten minutes long, is the most catchy track here and most accessible, thanks in no small part to the sensible bass work. 'Midnight' is a pretty typical post-rock track, but packs some nice guitar beauty into the four minutes. Next is by far the most energetic and peppy track; 'Insomnia.' Here, the pumped up speed doesn't work quite as well as the reflective pace of the other tracks, and while being an interesting dose of caffeine in the album, there are a few issues with the playing here that detracts from the composition itself.

Anyone who has looked at the track listing and song lengths will instantly have their attention caught by the existence of a twenty three minute long epic thrown into the middle of the album. While the prospect of such a long (and hopefully involving) piece is obviously exciting, the reality is that 'As The City Quietly Sleeps...' did seem to do what the title suggests; it lulled with into a drowsy state. While the epic has a few very powerful sections (particularly the grandiose finale), the track doesn't really feel like a cohesive piece, and may have been better off dividing into smaller songs, or doing without the less important sections of the track. 'As The City' does leave off on a good note however; the last few minutes are greeted by the introduction of some very nice violin flourishes which add to the epic feel that seemed to be lacking throughout a fair deal of the track.

Following an epic is generally a very difficult task for a song to accomplish. Ironically, the short interlude that follows doesn't only merit more love from me than the epic it trails, it is without a doubt, my most loved piece on the album. Wearing the influence of avant-garde metal legends maudlin of the Well on their sleeve, Until Sunrise fashions an acoustic interlude that truly would not sound out of place as an interlude on one of Maudlin's albums. With an organic production quality that seems to evade the rest of the album, it seems clear that if Until Sunrise continues to delve out pieces of quality like 'A Maudlin Interlude,' they will eventually have a masterpiece on their hands.

The next two tracks seem to follow the acoustically-tinged sound that was introduced by the interlude. While not as impressive, they incorporate the acoustic sound very well into the mix, leading towards the final piece on the album, 'Nostalgic Moment.' With some beautifully piano work and plenty of Devin Townsend-like ambiance, the track does well to finish the album.

While the album is generally enjoyable throughout, the biggest issue that 'Until Sunrise' faces is the production itself. Not that the quality of recording decides whether a piece of music is 'great' or not, but the production values here are very inconsistent throughout the album, which can lead to some confusion. While the first track works perfectly in both the way it is performed and recorded, some of the tracks that follow have a muddied production sound, which makes the heavier, distorted sections of the album incredibly noisy to the point of being throwaway. What makes this production issue confusing is that some sections of the album sound much more professional than others. For example, while sections of 'Insomnia' do retain quite a bit of the amateur execution, 'Sunset', 'Sunrise' and especially 'A Maudlin Interlude' sound perfect for what they are. But as it is, each song seems to have different production values under it's belt, which sounds to me like the album may need a good case of remastering.

As it stands however, Until Sunrise has crafted an impressive indie recording with their debut. While post-rock does seem to be an increasingly tired style of music, this band definitely deserves recognition for their work, and despite not having found a unique voice for themselves yet, each member of the band proves through their skill that they have what it takes to make a real mark on the scene.

It was a nice try.

The wave of post-rock music had been recently getting a little ridiculous. Bands like Sigur Ros, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Do Say Make Think are good, and so is Until Sunrise, but albums such as these really take a good hour to waste and the willingness to subject yourself to an hour of sub-par grade ambient rock music. True, some songs on the album can be seen as enjoyable, but most ramble on into the obscurity from effected guitars and overly complex drums.

Sunset, the opening track, can be seen as one of the best on the album. It takes quite a while for the album to open, but when it does the song soars above the simple ambient rock that the majority of the album encompasses.

Pink is another good track, but, despite the fact that I love long songs, the 10 minute length of this song is tedious. The musicianship could be cleaned up also, but musically the track is just about par. Recommendations for this track: simplify, simplify, simplify: complex fast solos and overly difficult drumlines don't work when they can't be played properly.

Midnight is a little weaker, although it is much shorter and your attention won't wander into oblivion over the 4 minutes. The song gets interesting at some points, although the drumlines again could be simplified.

Insomnia is an odd change of pace for the album which is welcome in the monotony of overly extended notes and ambiance. It has a distinct funky quality, although the mastering is a little sub par, but that can be ignored, seeing as it is a home recording. Although, transitions between feels are very choppy and harsh. And again, the drumlines are way too bombastic for the music.

As the City Quietly Sleeps is good, but had more downsides than upsides. The length is extreme but acceptable, especially for this kind of music. The transition into the heavier more interesting sections doesn't take an obnoxious amount of time and the more bombastic sections aren't too difficult to listen to, although they are very odd mixed in with this type of music. Soloing in this song is more acceptable and the musicianship had improved.

A Maudlin Interlude is a very much needed break from the post-rock hosh posh with a much better mastered acoustic piece that is a nice happy variety to the music.

Sunrise is a much darker and disturbing song. In my opinion, it is one of the better songs on the album, where the overly bombastic drumlines are somewhat nice behind the soaring guitars.

First Sign of Summer is similar to the Interlude, a nice well mastered somewhat acoustic song with distinguishable melody and harmony that adds a nice touch to the album.

Nostalgic Moment is a very nice ending to a very sub-par album. The piano is a nice addition to the mainly ambient guitar album. The melodic work with the piano is creative and enjoyable amongst bombastic drums and still ambient guitar.

ALBUM OVERALL: A very sub-par album. I was under the impression that I had received the "remastered" edition of each song... and if this is true, I would never want to hear the original, because these songs are horrible mastered. A recommendation for the release: get someone who remotely knows what they are doing to record you, get simpler more workable drumlines (you don't need to constantly show off) and make more interesting tracks that are different from each other, such as the interludes and Insomnia. I feel bad giving such a bad review to a new band, but there is way too much room for improvement. I'm hoping for a better album in a year or two. 2- stars.

Both the band name and the album title gives the game away.

Long thematic somber pieces of music, bordering to funeral dirges. This is normally Sigur Ros's domain. But this scene has been crowded lately. Until Sunrise, some shoe gazing young men from USA, has also converged on this scene with this album.

This is a remastered version of their original version. The re-mastering here is not a success, I have to say. The sound is still a bit soggy. The music is long thematic songs with little variations. Sigur Ros has proved that there is a large market out there among the youths of today (yes, I am an middle aged man) and I am sure this band will find a willing audience with their music.

In all fairness, this album is a good album. It floats on the strength on the melodies and the changing moods. Which change from somber to rather brutal, contrast filled moods. The instruments is both acoustic and harsh electric guitars + tangents. There is no vocals here whatsoever. The bass is also very much present in the soundscape. A sound I would call reflective.

My main gripe is the lack of some really great melodies and the lack of variations. Besides of that, this album is good but not everyone's cup of tea. It is good music for silent frostbitten winter evenings......... until sunrise.

3 stars

First off, i am a musician so i will judge as such. This album is very interesting in the way that it is a concept album yet instrumental. very neat trait! Here is my Song by song breakdown of Until Sunrise's Self-Titled debut release. . .

sunset- a nice long build up to introduce the album. the delay guitar is used very nicely. the build up may be a little long for my liking loking at how quickly it fades out but overall good opening statement 5/5

pink- very nice intro witht he etheareal effects in the guitars. Watch out fr the drum fills i.e. hitting rims and other extraneous attacks Another comment for drummer make sure there is a dfference in your ghost note volume and your actual attacks. the big hit it great guys nice work. For future reference lets be more committed to the metronome there are some laxidasical moments, guitar solo is great! the hi-hats seem a little offesive to me either turn it down or the drummer should now ht so close to the bell of the cymbal on open hits (can you tell im a drummer? =]) once again be commited to the timing in your fills second big hit at about 7:18 is great guys great groove! XD. Drummer, dont get aheaad of yourself on these fills dude remember that sometimes less is more-especially with post rock. overall pretty sick song guys i can see why it has been played on som eprog radio stations this one gets 4/5

midnight- very nice drummer! way to redeem yourself!my only request is that you incorperate more dtynamic control very cool intro here. the main theme is very nice! one thing i will say about the guitar work is be carful on what you layer its not quite busy but almost. AHHHH hi hats are so over bearing at 2:15! at 2:50 the hit is aweomse loving the drum groove here but as you go dont go nuts sir dorsey i would suggest more quick attacking cymbals so it doens ring over too much 3:59 blew my mind a little very cool. Overall this song gets a 5/5 ffrom me

Insomnia- Ok guy something a littel different i like it! i like sam's china =] there are some timing issues going on here. i suggest for the record you guys dont settle on these drum tracks. it seems that you just went with the first or second take and the tracks suffer from that. Loving 2:30. Bass player. . . nice! This track as a whole illustrates insomnia flawlessly. 4:00 goes back to the more traditional until sunrise sound with the "maybe ill try to go to sleep theme" but we continure to get get more and mre restless as the track comes to a close. this is by far my favorite track! 5/5

As the City Quietly sleeps- the epic of the album aat an outstanding 23 minutes. very calm intro which contrats greatly with the preceding track. drums, watch that met! wow guys nice nice. Dnt abuse the ride cymbal haha. the tapping section is very cool however some simplifying may be in order in the ride bell groove a tip there think about the half note rather then the quarter note. nice nice bass solo here! the reprie of the main theme has a new found energy that i love. as the frst part comes to an end we have a very eerie section but i like it a lot. this section reminds me of some early rush! good work! this slow section is awesome, but i can see where the average listener could get a little bored of it. I, however i am a fan.i love the violin solo beautiful! great tune guys! 4/5

Maudlin Institute- A nice change of pace with acoustic guitar. love the bells and other calm yet powerful nuances used here beautiful song 5/5

Sunrise- The epitomy of quiet intensity. then the big hit is fantastic! awesome awesome awesome guys. this song depicts the progress of the concept with perfection! 5/5

First signs of summer- you guys really know how to take a constant "sound" and make it unique while its all the same. Thats a great quality and it show with this track! 5/5

Nostalgic Moment- Here we are with the closer. Neat bass intro dude and great tone, guitars. Drums stick with that tempo! Vey pretty piano playing! Wow! Nice build up with that piano riff!great bass tone throughout very nice guys!

Overall i give this album a 4/5. general comments: great sound, great tones, work on simplifying the percussion orchestration and be more careful when tracking! However keep up thet great work and look forward to the second album not to mention Joe's other band Ocean Architecture! Rock on!

A nice debut!

Until Sunrise is a young US post band whose first self-titled album was released in 2010, but the one I am reviewing now is the re-release with the alternate name of "Oxide Tones", here it features ten compositions that make a total time of 75 minutes, so yeah, it is a long album. The music here is post rock in its soft, mellow side, with instrumental tracks that create beautiful atmospheres, calm passages and peaceful moments.

The first song is entitled "Sunset", and since this piece I could say Until Sunrise shows us their style and musical tendency; the music starts softly but then it flows and little by little becomes more intense, creating that inherent emotional sound in post rock acts. "Pink" is one of the longer tracks of the album, reaching the ten minutes. The first moments are calm, smooth and relaxing, later it progresses and more elements can be heard, however the music in my point of view never reaches a climax, never explodes, in spite of that weird guitar riff after four minutes. So despite it is a good composition, I expected a moment of seduction, a nucleus, and it may has it, but I simply did not find it.

"Midnight" starts with drums, later bass, guitars and the atmospheric synth join and create a nice and mellow track. It later takes us to "Insomnia" which has a kind of funky guitar that creates a funky post rock sound. Before reaching two minutes the music becomes a bit crazy, they change the direction and try to experiment, but in my honest opinion, the result fails because it does not attract me at all. Anyway is a nice try, it is always good to experiment, not all people dare to do it, but well, sorry guys I did not like this particular track, though its second half is much better.

Until Sunrise surprises us with a challenging 23-minute song in their debut album, something that has to be applauded just for the fact they were capable to compose it. The name is "As the City Quietly Sleeps" and it really starts as softly as if people were sleeping or getting relaxed, that's the good news, the bad news is that all of a sudden after three minutes they wanted to wake up everybody and make a drastic change into a much heavier sound, which is out of place in my opinion. Later it becomes rockier, not that heavier, but the experimentation does not seem to end because they create mini-songs in this whole track, I mean, we can appreciate different passages, some of them are pretty cool, some others aren't, the heavier ones in particular, which actually sound really amateurish and as I said, out of place.

"A Maudlin Interlude" is one of the shortest compositions, with two and a half minutes of acoustic guitar, delicate percussion, some piano notes and a complementary harmonica, sweet. "Sunrise" is a nice track that starts with a dark atmosphere that later is becoming lighter. Here we can listen to a combination of both, acoustic and electric guitar, accompanied by drums and bass, as usual. The acoustic feeling continues until the song finishes, but also continues in the next track entitled "First Signs of Summer" which happens to be the shortest of the whole album. This three-song part of the record seems to be contrast with what the band offered in the previous tracks, which is not bad at all, but it is also an indication that they are trying to find out their own identity, their own sound.

The album finishes with "Nostalgic Moment" and "Another Nostalgic Moment", two songs that judging by the title may perfectly work together. The music is mellow, relaxing and beautiful mainly due to the piano; later it becomes a bit heavier and more emotional, but here it perfectly flows, it is not forced like previous tracks. In the second nostalgic moment I can listen a better quality mainly in the bass, though the music is practically the same, they could have made a 14 minute track instead of these two, but anyway, I believe this is my favorite part of the album.

I cannot deny the trio has talent, these guys are working hard and one really appreciates that, however, I invite them to work even harder because I am sure they have more to learn offer in the near future. This album shows the first steps, but now I expect their upcoming productions with surely more mature stuff. My final grade will be 2.75 rounded to three.

Enjoy it!

After listening to fellow PA member Pianoman's band Ocean Architecture, I discovered Until Sunrise, a post rock band consisting of different members, including his brother Sam Dorsey on drums. Ocean Architecture plays solid progressive metal, but here, Until Sunrise plays a different type of prog: lo-fi post rock, boarding Indie rock with a prog rock flavor mixed in. The production isn't perfect, but it adds to the lo-fi feel of the record, making it sound rustic and pure. I originally thought a 3 star rating, but it grew and grew on me the more i listened, and the more I got used to the production style

I liked Pink, As the City Quietly Sleeps, A Maudlin Interlude, and Nostalgic Moment the most, but the whole album is wonderful. Not recommended for every prog fan though: this is a very niche band. This is where I understand where the other reviews are warranted

4.2 of 5 rounded up. (because it's growing on me, may re-review if necessary)