When it comes to talk about post rock music there’s no doubt that This will Destroy You are one of the luminaries of the genre. I’ve been a fan of TWDY since their self titled album debuted in 2008 and I’ve always thought of them along the same lines of huge bands like Explosions In The Sky, but they are more melancholic and heavier.
One year after the release of This Will Destroy You’s Live album Live In Reykjavik, Iceland the four guys from Austin, Texas, are back with a long awaited new full length Another Language that will be released on September 16 through Suicide Squeeze. The nine tracks on Another Language have all the characteristics of post rock music, apart from the song length, with the excellent formula of soft-loud-soft and that evokes engaging atmospheres. Again the Texas outfit demonstrates their ability to fluctuate their the sound from both calm to chaotic, often taking on several different distinctive moods throughout the same track. Those of you that well know the music of TWDY know that it suits every mood and amplifies it; there’s so much intensity in their sound to the point that, if you close your eyes, you can see their music.
Listening to the Another Language is for sure a nice experience and your degree of enjoyment will depend on your appetite for loud/soft instrumental post-rock. The overall atmosphere is sometimes inspiring, other times it washes over you. Some moments are quiet and incredibly heavy at the same time and in those moments I love this album; other times the music is mellow. It’s up to you and your willingness to get into it.
The opener “New Topia” is an intimate, beautiful track that starts quietly and softly and brightens like the sun on a summer day, but soon it turns out to be dark and slowly slides into a transcendent drone. It’s the feeling like something is going to happen, but you don’t know if it’s good or bad. It’s a nice start for the album that goes from simple and complex. The album preview track ‘”Dustism,” the album preview follows the same path of “New Topia” with the overall mood becoming more intense and melancholic. “Serpent Mound” is one of those songs that has the power to drive directly into your heart from the first note and the goosebumps on my arms are the proof that This Will Destroy You knows how to craft songs that everyone can relate to. Every track of Another Language is an album where each adventure is separated by the intros that are like interludes before the eruption of ambiance, distortion, melody, and madness. “Serpent Mound’ is definitely one of those track and it makes me think of “Quiet,” from the bands 2005 debut EP Young Mountain.
Another Language continues with “The Puritan” and “Mother Opiate” two tracks that have a soft atmosphere and that give you the feeling of suspension up until the point where the beat finally appears out of nowhere to give the music some rhythm. The Following song “Invitation,” is the best track from the Another Language where This Will Destroy You really creates something new. I can’t imagine how amazing it would be to attend a live performance of this song. “Invitation” is the most complex of the tracks; there’s everything in it and it creates a vortex in your brain that remains in your head even when it’s finished. This is one of those songs where I recognize why I really like TWDY.
Another Language represents a continuum of the This Will Destroy You’s tradition; the post rock sound of the band is sometimes heavier, other times softer. It’s melancholic and it frees your mind. Another Language has brilliants moments where the music really shines and other moments where you wait for something to happen. This record has been tagged as “doomgaze,” which I guess is something in between doom and shoegaze. I don’t really like the use of “genrefication,” but I understand the need for it sometimes. For me Another Language is music with no words that lets you write the story you like, according to your mood and what its sound inspires in you.
They Will Destroy You are going out on tour next week and if it happens that they come to your town, don’t miss them.
Rating: 2.5/5