TOO LATE TO DIE YOUNG

After listening to their free EP, I went straight to their bandcamp to purchase their full length debut. It's rocked out and song oriented, but still very clearly post-rock material. The album switches between sections of dissonance and spoken-word monologues to agressive instrumentals not unlike those of bands like Adebisi Shank or Fang Island. My only minor criticism toward the album is the too-lengthy sections of manic, distorted playing. A little bit of this is alright, but it can get on ones nerves after a while. Overall, however, the album ties together extremely well and I recommend it to anyone who's into bands like Don Caballero, Battles, or Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

'Too Late To Die Young' - Jung People (7/10)

With only an EP to come a few months before this debut, Jung People are a fairly new band on the radar. A two man collaboration, they opt to play an energetic, song-based form of post-rock, a formula not quite unlike Mogwai's latest record. I have heard often about this group over the past few months, and eventually brought it upon myself to check out the music of this Calgary-based act. 'Too Late To Die Young' is a very lively first full0length for this group, and while it is wrought with imperfection, the organic quality and vitality to the music makes Jung People a band to look out for in the future.

Possibly the most noteworthy thing about 'Too Late To Die Young' and Jung People's music is the production. While the way music is recorded is not necessarily an integral part to the quality of music, Jung People performs all of their music 'live off the floor', and the result is music with a very organic sound. All too often, I have seen my enjoyment of an album hurt sometimes greatly by a cold and mechanical studio job, but Jung People's music has a very live feel to it, and while this does has its fair share of setbacks to it, I think it works very well for their sound. The band plays a fairly heavy brand of post-rock, often breaking into very aggressive strumming patterns. There is certainly a fanciful portion of atmospherics and mellow stuff for listeners to dig into here as well. While Jung People's more distinct sound comes from the sheer aggression of the heavy parts, the live production can make them sound a little too noisy and distorted, which tends to take away from the musicality. A clear sound is accomplished with the less demanding mellow sections however, which range from downright minimalism to rich soundscapes. The album's closer 'Your Personality Will Prevail' is an exception to the ambiance-or-brittle-post-rock rule though, passing itself as what I interpret as a take on instrumental indie folk. In any case, it is good stuff.

Also included is a fairly noisy yet appropriate cover of the King Crimson instrumental 'Red', which does feel awkward trailing a very nice closing track, but gives a helpful insight into where the band is being influenced from. Jung People's 'Too Late To Die Young' shows a load of potential, and I would even go as far as to say that the band has an original take on the post-rock sound. While the obvious flaws and a sometimes simplistic sense of composition holds me back from calling the debut amazing, Jung People have caught my attention.