Rock Survivor Mania
In case you missed it, the first Rock Album Survivor battle is finally up! This time it's Post-Rock. As with Metal Album Survivor, I will be making a section where I give some brief opinions on the quality of the albums in the battle, and then rank them accordingly. So without further ado, let's get to the first battle!
Post-Rock
1. Sigur Rós - Ágætis byrjun
2. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
3. Explosions in the Sky - The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place
4. Mogwai - Happy Songs for Happy People
5. Bark Psychosis - Hex
6. Do Make Say Think - & Yet & Yet
7. Tortoise - Millions Now Living Will Never Die
8. Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden
9. Slint - Spiderland
10. A Silver Mt. Zion - He Has Left Us Alone but Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corner of Our Rooms...
1. Sigur Ros - Ágætis byrjun
Sigur Ros utilizes lots of strings and lots of drones to create very happy, lighthearted music. Sometimes, as in the title track, the piano and guitars take a central role. And the drums keep the beat throughout. The vocals are pretty good as well. Some of the tracks are not as good as the rest, displaying some overall uninspired writing. But there are a lot of great ideas here as well.
2. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
Another album that uses plenty of strings. This album has many more guitars than Sigur Ros, and uses them in a much less rock-y fashion. Mainly they are plucked as they would be in a classical piece. A prominent use of drones and piano should also be noted, however a bit of sampling can also be heard on this one. The most notable differences are the lack of vocals on this album, as well as the completely different use of drums, as an ornament rather than a base. Lots of various instruments are uitilized here, often over long periods of buildup, as would appear in a prog rock track. I think while the songwriting here is a bit superior, Sigur Ros just has catchier tracks.
3. Explosions in the Sky - The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place
Lots of guitar stuff, and lots of drums. Mostly not as interesting as the other two though.
4. Mogwai - Happy Songs for Happy People
This one is pretty cool. A lot like Sigur Ros, except maybe a bit mellower. I really like the vocals on this one better than Sigur Ros though, and the songwriting is superb. The song Golden Porsche reminds me of a Pink Floyd song from the Ummagumma era which I really enjoy. Therefore, I think I can confidently say this is my favorite so far.
Here's my current list:
Mogwai
Sigur Ros
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Explosions in the Sky