2008 Album of the Year
It is only February 1st and I believe I have found the album of the year in my opinion already. I haven’t been blown away by anything new in awhile. The last time I can recall being absolutely floored by something was probably when I first listened to Botch or Godspeed You! Black Emperor. As I’ve said to some friends lately I have been dying for something to give me this type of feeling again. I’ve lost so much faith in music. Most of the bands I really like have either gone in different directions that I don’t really like or they are broken up. Yes there are still some bands I like that are putting out quality stuff but nothing that I think I will put down as one of the best of all time.
Today I experienced it again. This Will Destroy You is a quartet from Texas who’s band name is extremely deceiving of the musical style they choose. They put out their debut EP in 2006 entitled Young Mountain through independent label Magic Bullet Records. It was a beautiful, flowing album that included your traditional instrument pieces along with piano, digital drum beats and other ambient noises. The parts that use some electronic elements reminded me a lot of Mogwai’s experimental aspects. Ever since hearing the EP I have been awaiting a full length to see if they continue down that direction. This past Tuesday they released their first full length simply entitled This Will Destroy You again through Magic Bullet Records. The very start of the album is quite with very light guitars mixed with some electronic effects. This album didn’t exactly take the direction that I would have thought but this was very pleasant surprise. Instead the songs are more epic and climatic. With many rises and falls in the song progressions including longer interludes of near nothing ambiance. I was reminded of that first time I listened to GY!BE again. This is an album I am going to be listening to a lot and probably for a long time. It is perfect for when you’re driving or even after a hard day. It will calm you and put you in a better state of mind.
For more information on This Will Destroy You please visit their Myspace profile.
