THIS WILL DESTROY YOU

This is album is, for me, everything post-rock should be: simple, beautiful, emotional, soothing and peaceful. I'm actually quite surprised about the ignorance of TWDY's music here in PA, I think they're in pair with some of the greatest post-rock bands, of course they are not the most original band out there, but this has touched me like very few others did... A guitar comes softly above the introducing noise of opener "A Three-Legged Workhorse", and those few little slow notes make one of the most special songs in the album, absolutely gorgeous music, and the electronic drums fall perfectly in the mood. "Villa Del Refugio" is a total ambient song, beautiful and peaceful and "The Mighty Rio Grande" is a great darker song, but for me, the best is in "They Move On Tracks of Never-Ending Light", this is the emotional peek of the album, the guitar alone forms a gorgeous melody which can only bring the listener goose-bumps or even tears, it's absolutely mighty. This is essential for post-rock fans, an incredible and touching piece of art.

Perfection. For me, this THE perfect post-rock album. There's nothing that should have been done differently. Not only are the songs masterpieces individually, but the album works as a whole too. There is enough variation to keep you interested, but not too much, so that the album would lose consistency. There are ambient parts, calm parts, beautiful parts, happy and sad parts, and the parts that will destroy you.

The execution is perfect; the guitars sound soft at times and when necessary they are screaming with distortion. The drums sound big, especially the snare, but not 80's big, just big. The texture is very rich, there are enough instruments to bring the right color. The recording quality and mixing is top-notch, which is not always the case with post-rock.

I won't go deeper in this review to describe the songs themselves, since i would just be describing typical post-rock songs. The reason why this album deserves five stars is not because it would be somehow groundbreaking but simply because it's just so really really good. Seriously, perfect.

PS. Good news! This album is available for 100% free and 100% legal download at gimmesound.com, go check it out and support the artist!

What we got here is one of these newer post-rock bands, but sadly, their official debut (studio album type debut), but sadly, doesn't bring much new, nor interesting things into PR. I'm aware that this genre's music structure is quite different and has to be taken in its own way. OK, that's fine for me, as long as it's good album.

I can take and rate this music in rock way, but that would be stupid. I'll do it in my own way, mostly depending on feeling, because Post-Rock as I understand it, is a lot about dreaming, ascending onto another plane of existence, where just mind can enter, roam, hear these transcendental sounds. Simply feel it. Of course, this all can also mean just bunch of weird sounds together. There's a strange similarity with trance (I'm not expert on this, to take it as that), first just sole sounds, joining together, building something bigger. Of course, this comes from rock, so it's far more interesting, mature, can offer more than just head-banging, but can exactly this album offer these things ?

A Three-legged Workhorse, strange name, but when listening post-rock, you can either admire these weird names, or just ignore them. But problem of this song, and after all, whole album is its monotone sound. It's good (mostly), it's nice, but it was rather pleasant, than satisfying experience listening it. Also, I lack new way of doing PR, something proggy, something innovative, or at least not cliché. But as I said, it's nothing bad, just also nothing new under the sun.

3(+), not that I'm against calm music, but it has to be strong, powerful, yet calm. Simply, interesting, not just average. And sadly, this is just better average.

Nothing under the sun ... this album it´s not an exception, with "classical" melodies, almost monotonous, continue on the line of many other bands like Russian Circles, Godspeed You Black Emperor!, and Vorkoma, already had heard such melodies, long crescendo tunes, melancholic feelings, with long instrumental climax, and simplicity, but not in the possitive way, is not persuasive that looks like a copy of what these bands have done call, even if somebody´s being told me it's a new album of them, i would believe unequivocally... This Will Destroy You Ep, is only for post-math-rock fans, no more than three stars...

THIS WILL DESTROY YOU is a Post-Rock band out of Texas who are often compared with EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY and MONO. Lots of ambient sections here and they often build to a climax. So yes this is "Post-Rock 101" if there is such a thing.

"A Three-Legged Workhorse" opens with faint "noises" that build. A change after 1 1/2 minutes as drums come in with guitar as the "noise" stops. It's building until it kicks in heavily at 4 1/2 minutes. It settles before 6 1/2 minutes then starts to build again. "Villa Del Refugio" opens with these humming sounds that come and go. It's getting noisier. It settles to end it. "Threads" features these relaxing guitar sounds with drums. It's louder 2 1/2 minutes in. "Leather Wings" opens with fairly heavy drums as gentle guitar joins in.

"The Mighty Rio Grande" is the longest track at almost 11 1/2 minutes. Mellow guitar comes and goes as faint synths continue in the background. It starts to build. It settles 4 1/2 minutes in then kicks back in before 9 minutes, it's not as heavy as before though. "They Move On Tracks Of Never-Ending Light" is pastoral with guitar. It starts to get fuller after 2 1/2 minutes. "Burial On The Presidio Banks" is again mellow. Drums before 2 minutes then it settles a minute later. Drums return then it kicks in at 6 1/2 minutes.

A pretty good album but this one seems to need more patience then I can give it.

A powerful debut album from these Post/Math Rockers. Great sound production throughout. Rough and raunchy or ultra-clear whenever they want it, there are moments of MONO's beauty, MOGWAI's punch, SIGUR RÓS's style with RED SPAROWES overall consistency and the sound and production reminiscent of post-Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me THE CURE. Also, there is some great JOHN MARTYN-like electric (any Echoplex here?) guitar work. Often the music develops a little too slowly or with too little surprise and variation, but it is very high quality Math Rock.

Favorite songs: "They Move on Tracks of Never-ending Light" (6:56) (9/10) and"Villa del Refugio" (7:06) (9/10).

Just like their EP "Young Mountain", which was their first studio recording, "This Will Destroy You" gets it right again with their debut full length album. This is post-rock that follows the basic formula of slow moving, beautiful instrumentals that typically build to intense and slow crescendos over the length of each track. What makes TWDY distinctive is that their music is based off of lovely themes and the band builds on these usually simple themes to create emotional and sometimes noisy blasts of energy by the time the individual track is finished. If you want a good idea of what they typical post-rock track should sound like, then this is the album you need to listen to.

Many post-rock bands have tried this basic formula, but most of them haven't made it work as well as what this band has. While it is true that several of the best bands have expanded the boundaries of post-rock away from this formula, this album stays loyal to the sound, but their melodies and themes can totally immerse you into each beautiful track, while others bands seem to lack the ability to do this or don't have the ability to keep your interest especially on the longer tracks. I never seem to have this problem with TWDY.

I find this album totally immersive as the simple themes draw you in and make your heart pound as they build in intensity. Even using this music as background music can have a good effect on you in a subliminal way, but the best way to listen is to be in a melancholy mood first of all and then just let yourself be taken away by the music as it coasts along and picks up the momentum to make it feel like you are soaring above everything. I have considered this band one of the best post-rock bands out there, and after discovering them on this site several years ago, I still feel the same way about them. Unfortunately, there is nothing groundbreaking about their music and the albums usually end up with 4 stars, but they have taken a sound and perfected it and that is why I love their sound.