Arc and Sender - S/T (2005)

Arc and Sender play dark, contemplative, math rock that heaves through atmospheric passages punctuated by huge riffs.  The format of drums, bass, and baritone guitar is accompanied on a few tracks by violin and saxophone for extra spiciness.  The compositions are sprawling.  I usually prefer the songwriting to be a little tighter, but in this case everything is so heavy that too many changes might sound strange.

This band is relatively unknown, at least as far as I can tell.  They started off as a studio project, released an album, played a few shows, then faded from existence.  For such a short band lifetime, the quality of the product is excellent.  We were super lucky to play with them at a DIY joint in Baltimore in 2008.  They slayed.  I believe that this was their final show. 

Check out "WWJLD" (What Would Jesus Lizard Do) on their Myspace, then download their self-titled debut album here:

Arc and Sender - S/T (2005) 

Pulseve - Magnet EP

Had ran into these guys awhile back and perhaps did not give them a fair chance. Thankfully an email from them allowed me to dive back in.  Hailing from Italy, Pulseve weave a pretty unique blend of Post-rock, progressive tones, math rock attack and a surprising amount of atmosphere. I've said this before and I will say it again, there is a serious lack of darker tinged math rock in today's musical landscape. Hearing those dark ambient progressions is simply music to my ears not to mention that bass guitar tone is flipping sensational. Another item of note is the fact that this is a two piece which is even more impressive considering the mood they can strike with limited personnel.

From their site:

"Torino based duo (drum+bass) blends silence and rage, nightmares and daydreaming, feet digging the ground / hands air floating. 2011 debut EP “Magnet” belches out cannibal affairs, earthly desires and blackmailed toreros. Gravity is dancing on tightropes.

pulseve is:
Diego Franchino, drums
Maurizio Veglio, bass"

Magnet EP 
 

The Weeknd- Echoes of Silence (2011)

As per usual, I am hearing about so much music all the time these days that random things get plopped into my lap that I dont have much time to absorb or appreciate. Such was the case in a conversation I had with Acey the other day, where I asked him for his top 3 recommendations of the music he's been listening to in the last few weeks. We got to talking, and we both realized I had let Damiera completely slip past my ears. Acey flipped his shit about that, and eventually came to also recommend the first Stage Kids album, as well as telling me to really sink my teeth into American Don.

Then today, a friend recommended the 3rd free release by a mysterious solo artist named The Weeknd. He wrote a trilogy of 9 track albums, all released through his website for free download spread across 2011. It is foreboding, dark electro r&b, with a nice selection of instrumentation and a killer voice that he doesn't mind obscuring in production trickery; but he knows when to pull back the curtains to give you that clean hook and harmonies. These 27 tracks have been added to my new Must-Listen folder in my iTunes; this the first track off Thursday, his 2nd album in the trilogy. All three albums are available for free at his website, below:
The Weeknd - Lonely Star by The_Weeknd
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houseofballoons/ thursday/ echoesofsilence