moving mountains new ep

The stories told by this Leeds five-piece are set to carefully structured, adorning melodies with instrumental patterns capable of creating an incredible range of emotions. "Progress Reform" contains unique, inspiring, and rousing songs, and brims with exceptional characters and historical events. "Brilliant, unique, wry: iLiKETRAiNS are at odds with pop's present trends, but then weren't all the best bands out of time?" - NME. "Intelligent, witty songs are matched by hauntingly powerful riffs. These make you think of The Smiths and Interpol joining forces with Sigur Ros...This mini album boasts some remarkable tracks" - The Sun.

Don't be put off by the 5 number of songs, it's over 40 minutes long, like prog rock but without the solos or haircuts. At only 7 quid it's £1.40 per 8 minutes and you could fit 3 Oasis songs in that time and if, like me, you think Oasis are 36.8% worse than your band that's 36.8 x 3 = 110.4% better than three Oasis songs. That's before the vocals come in and, if i may say so myself, they increase the quality by 6.8 times.

“Nobody knows the troubles I’ve seen.” This hymn provides an apt summation of the road these band members have taken, from the suicide of their lead guitarist just prior to the release of their first record (when they were known as Hope of the States), to the struggles with Top 40 recognition and accusations of selling out, to the dissolution of the band in 2006. Some performers might have folded. These musicians decided instead to forge forward with a new identity, taking pride in their misfortune. Perhaps karma will bring them full circle: from a sad band with a hopeful name to a hopeful band with a sad name.
With two prior releases under their collective belt (2006’s eponymous debut and last year’s Sen’taur), Troubles has quickly established itself as an alternative to HOTS, rather than as a continuation. Gone are the indie guitar riffs and stadium-sized vocals; in are an increased variety of instruments and an expanded tonal range. While the early HOTS output was decidedly post-rock (check the finale of “Black Dollar Bills” for the most famous example), Troubles is more concerned with orchestral experimentation. Not that this music is inaccessible; quite the contrary. While there is nothing here as immediate as “Sing It Out,” neither is there anything the listener might have to strain to comprehend. As a fan of instrumental music, I’m happy they chose this path.
Few musicians are capable of making the switch from vocal-centered to instrument-centered music. The temptation is to follow the same template, resulting in instrumentals (instrumental versions of vocal songs) rather than instrumental music (that which is intentionally created without vocals). “My Yeshiva” is a prime example of the latter art. While the piece is distinctly guitar-driven, the lead guitar picks up other instruments like hitchhikers as it angles through the Mexican desert. The song shifts from building tension to propulsive action at the three-minute mark, building to a final orchestral flourish of bass drum, trumpet and violin that is stark, dramatic and intense.
Troubles’ desperado journeys are unlike those of Calexico in that their tone is darker – more Rodriguez than Morricone. Opener “Ayala: Para Las Brujillos” begins with dissonant cello and distant drum rolls before introducing a lone piano, which battles the cello with a rusty knife until guitars burst through the bar doors. Toward the end, drunken, wordless vocals emerge like hostile bikers, preparing us for the “Taps”-like introduction of “Furnace (Redux).” This selection builds to a calm climax in seemingly effortless fashion, shuttling us to the title cut. This “Wolf” lopes in constant vigilance for the first two and a half minutes before coming to a complete stop, as if spotting its prey. And then the hunt begins. I’m still not sure how I feel about the inclusion of an actual wolf howl, but it certainly helps to set the image. The only problem is that the track fails to culminate in any discernible fashion, and is followed by the piano-drenched “Feverland,” which possesses a jarringly different vibe.
While not everything on the album works well, the missteps are merely missteps, rather than travesties. “The Farwest Leader” is sound in concept, but the slow dynamism of its middle section is unpleasantly offset by the jaunty tempo of its beginning and end. “Glanton Falls” is a fine placeholder, but seems thin when extracted. “I Absence, Am Abraham” is little more than a series of near-ambient patterns. Fortunately, “St. Paul” and “Attica in Twos” provide an apt balance by offering starlit blankets of violin and bells reminiscent of Bell Orchestre. When played straight through, the album makes more sense, and these small flaws are less evident.
Wolf is not a happy creation, but one that is keenly aware of human nature: our baser instincts, our fears, our shames. It is, however, an album that offers understanding for our darker moods, like a compadre – in the end, more dog than wolf. Everybody yearns to be understood, and to be cherished. Sharing our troubles can lighten our load. So pack up your Troubles in an old kit bag, and smile, smile, smile.

1999 CDEP recorded for the 'In The Fishtank' series, features the joint forces of Tortoise & The Ex creating six tracks of undeniable strangeness and charm. Standard jewel case.

唱片：If you don’t’understand then I can’t explain to you
艺人：pentatonic
出品：拾柒贰肆唱片
编号：1724010EP
时间：2009年6月27日
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关于：
在吟唱传统和声音图景之间，pentatonic正在把握自己地特质：在大段器乐铺陈与氛围营造之上的叙事性；这是后摇滚由反叛到回归内心的路径。此外，pentatonic也努力于用简单的音符创造出动听美妙的旋律。这张唱片就是最好记录。同样，你也可以在这支五人团队的现场找到更精彩的答案。
作为乐队的第一张唱片，《If you don’t’understand then I can’t explain to you》在设计和名字上也隐藏着颇具概念倾向的年轻“野心”，这一点，你同样会在pentatonic的后续作品中有所发现。
《If you don’t’understand then I can’t explain to you》实物拷贝采取环保包装，进口欧典特种纸印制。限量300拷贝。出品方为曾先后推出48V、oNEwAY等优质创作团队作品的北京独立厂牌拾柒贰肆唱片。
制作团队
pentatonic乐队是：
小马：吉他/人声
大毛：吉他
纪伟：键盘
李勇：贝斯
徐航：鼓
制作人：纪伟
混音：纪伟
作词：Monat（You Build a House on my Back）
设计：折子
出品人：road
出品：拾柒贰肆唱片
网站：
邮件：info@1724.cn

Scotland’s Mogwai are not only legendary experimental rock icons, but also well-established soundtrack titans – sound sculptors behind an impressive spectrum of cinematic releases (both full soundtracks and contributions): Including their last film soundtrack, Atomic (2016), there's been consistent acclaim through Michael Mann's Miami Vice (2006), The Fountain (2006, collaborating with Clint Mansell and Kronos Quartet), Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait (2007), Amnesty International's PEACE project (2010), international hit French TV series Les Revenants (2013), and Leonardo DiCaprio's climate change documentary Before The Flood (2016) alongside soundtrack Oscar-winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. The staggeringly prolific force that is Mogwai return less than a year after their standout new album, Every Country’s Sun, to provide the soundtrack to the anticipated, acclaimed new sci-fi major motion picture, KIN. Like their beloved soundtracks to Atomic and Les Revenants, KIN uses the band’s original score as the genesis and point of departure for an expanded, fully developed album of new songs. KIN is cinematic maximalism and synth-rock minimalism delivered with the signature introspective grace that has defined and refined Mogwai’s decades-long reputation.

A 45 minute rush of tinnitus, contrary techno, fragile guitars, anti-social drum'n'bass in 7/4 and, if you listen carefully, the sound of 20,000 people finding rooms in their heads they never knew were there. The DVD accompanying this release is '65DOC' a road movie, captured by 65 conspirator Caspar Newbolt, over the course of the North American leg of the tour.
This release captures 65daysofstatic at a crossroads. With the last album behind them and their heads filling up with ideas, 65days move ever onwards. This is not just a sedge-way release. They have always shined their brightest as a live band and these recordings are the closest they have come so far to capturing that spark.