If_These_Trees_Could_Talk-Above_The_Earth_Below_The_Sky-2009-r35

ARTIST     : If These Trees Could Talk
TITLE      : Above The Earth, Below The Sky
LABEL      : If These Trees Could Talk
GENRE      : Post-Rock
BITRATE    : LAME v3.97 VBR V2
SOURCE     : CD
SIZE       : 70.9 MB
STORE DATE : 2009-03


Track List
----------
01. From Roots To Needles [6:41]
02. What's In The Ground Belongs To You [4:13]
03. Terra Incognita [0:57]
04. Above The Earth [2:19]
05. Below The Sky [7:20]
06. The Sun Is In The North [5:44]
07. Thirty-Six Silos [4:39]
08. The Flames Of Herostratus [5:33]
09. Rebuilding The Temple Of Artemis [5:05]
10. Deus Ex Machina [2:23]

Post-Rock can take over your life,  believe it. Most of it doesnÆt  hold any
form of lyrical structure or vocals and youÆd be a fool to expect any  sight
of a chorus  (even on some  of the most  accessible tracks that  actually do
contain some form of a voice).  You never quite realise itÆs your  favourite
genre until you go back to it and  find that a whole host of new bands  have
been handed the torch from the forefathers of the genre and taken it to  new
heights. The music becomes addictive in the sense that you can either sit in
awe at the beauty at hand or lose yourself to every track and awake an  hour
later, wondering what the hell just happened.

If These Trees Could  Talk havenÆt exactly been  on the Post-Rock scene  for
long but already we can assure you that this name will not be forgotten. The
record at hand (their debut LP) shoots to dizzying heights within its  first
few seconds and never  once comes back down  for its entire duration.  Every
single moment  is an  absolutely gleaming  example of  genre perfection  and
faultless musicianship.

WhatÆs In The Ground  Belongs To You is  like being caught at  sea before an
impending storm.  It batters  and bruises  and then  calms before becoming a
tsunami of epic proportions. The  riff relentlessly smashes at the  vessel's
broken  remains before  letting the  percussion take  it beneath  its  murky
depths. Above  The Earth  is a  gentle landscape  which builds  on an echoed
guitar and faint snares before morphing into successive track Below The Sky.
What was  once a  calming atmosphere  becomes a  gloomy, more immediate mood
filled with tension and unease.  Deep bass runs through the undercurrent and
echoed, layered guitar serves as the surface. When the break comes (and  you
know it's coming)  thereÆs nothing you  can do but  bask in the  utter chaos
that ensues. Having good speakers or headphones is a must.

Looking for similarities within a genre such as post-rock is relatively easy
but with this group, itÆs clear to see their influences sit a little further
left than just the genre they  reside in. Sure thereÆs your obvious  dose of
Explosions  In The  Sky dotted  around and  thereÆs definitely  a  sense  of
impending doom a la  Mogwai but thereÆs also  metal drizzled on top  of this
record (the almost Tool-like bass and rhythm) and although thatÆs also not a
rarity with regards  to the genre,  itÆs done in  such a subtle  manner here
that it works better than most weÆve heard before.

Thirty-Six Silos goes supernova at  the three minute mark and  itÆs honestly
one of the greatest bits of noise  this writer has heard in a fair  few post
-rocky  years.  ItÆs  difficult  to  explain  why  the  cacophony  sounds so
appealing, so  please: just  give it  a listen  yourself and  weÆre 99% sure
youÆll agree.

The heart-breaking thing about this record is that it wonÆt do half as  well
as it deserves. In today's music industry, the smaller bands (with the  most
talent) suffer because they donÆt  have mainstream appeal or ôthe  lookö and
itÆs this that frustrates the most. This band has more talent than any  band
youÆve  seen  on  MTV2Æs  Top  10 and  itÆs  a  shame  that  because theyÆre
considered ôtoo loudö or ôtoo edgyö  they just simply wonÆt get the  respect
and acclaim they deserve.

Above The Earth, Below The Sky is one of 2009Æs strongest releases and is an
artistically crafted sight/sound  to behold. It  swoops and dives  and hurts
and soothes and will blow your fucking mind.

http://www.myspace.com/ifthesetreescouldtalk