ALL IS VIOLENT, ALL IS BRIGHT

God Is an Astronaut's All Is Violent, All Is Bright combines the stark and emotionally devastated soundscapes of Godspeed You Black Emperor or Mogwai with delicate piano work reminiscent of Sigur Ros to create a post-rock sound which is very much rooted in what by 2005 had become fairly well-established traditions of the subgenre - but though their post-rock approach is slightly cliched, they pull it off so well that I can't bring myself to hold it against them. And truth be told, the band find enough new twists to add to the old formula that I think they get away with using it, by the skin of their teeth - it's an entertaining enough album that if you dug the mid-2000s post-rock boom you probably won't find it dull, but it's not going to blow your mind or knock any of your post-rock idols off their pedestals.