THE PIRATE SHIP QUINTET

Rope For No-Hopers is an excellent post-rock album, extra-heavy on the strings which is always a good thing, and contains numerous examples of stellar musicianship. Some songs include a horn section and others take influence from screamo music but the overall atmosphere is largely the same and it is a lovely one.

They create a bleak atmosphere that lives up to the image the band creates with their name as well as the album title. It has that raw emotional power that independent films have when they make you feel suicidal but at the same time show you the great beauty that exists in the world. It is an interesting experience to say the least.

An album for the weak and the weary. An album for that one person who needs some motivation. You'll find beauty here.

Each song has its own distinct sound starting in a crescendo manner except for I Kina Spiser the Hund which quickly kicks it off with intensity. There's not much to say about each song since there usually you're typical post rock songs but with a much distinct sound, something most post rock bands fail to do nowadays. I really couldn't tell which one I liked the most since I liked them all so much but if I had to pick one I'd go for I Kina Spiser the Hund.

In overall this EP could easily be a Post Rock masterpiece standing right beside the music of post-rock giants such as GY!BE, Sigur Rós , Explosions In The Sky, Yndi Halda and others. The Pirate Ship Quintet is indeed an amazing band with a bright future.

Well, there's nothing related to Sludgy Post-Metal Swedish CoL plays. TPSQ are instrumental, dark and epic as hell. I mean seriously - with pieces ranging from 8'45'' to 11'00'' you can't be called 'song- oriented' or whatever. Each track has those long-build-ups and mindblowing crescendoes any post- rocker adores, and this is where we have the main PRO for checking this band out: these things really work here. They're melodic, memorable, dramatic (yep, a truly Godspeedian vibe in each track!), long but never boring. Yet another Post-Rock band you say? If you dare to say that about YNDI HALDA, THE PIRATE SHIP QUINTET, NEIL ON IMPRESSION or JOHNNYTWENTYTHREE, I'm afraid I'll have to send my men to you. And they'll show you how to respect da real true Epic Post-Rock. Recommended, you ask? Yes!!!

The three songs are all around the 10 minute mark and they're very different from each other. "Lost Science" is the romantic song of them all and it's perfectly introduced by Moo's trumpet (that's the trumpeter's name). "I Kina Spiser De Hund" is the rockiest of the bunch and starts off with a bang and the last minute of the song are very powerful. The haunting cello on top of the menacing climax makes it even tastier. "Pirate Ship" is the more traditional Post-Rock song and coincidentally the most powerful and emotionally moving of them all. The trumpet / cello crescendo and the climax are my most cherished moment on this release. And with that the EP ends at a high note and a smile on the listener's face.

If anything, TPSQ reminds more of the Italian band called "Neil on Impression". Their album called "The Perfect Tango" was released years before and it's, in my opinion, better. Still, The Pirate Ship Quintet delivered a wonderful set of songs that are very moving, enjoyable and nicely orchestrated. On its own, this album stands strong and it shows a band with great potential. Highly recommended!