Tarentel - The Waltz (Temporary Residence, 1999)

Fifteen minutes of staggering beauty from post-rock magicians Tarentel.

Originally released on their Travels In Constants disc in 1999, this was rounded up on a great compilation of singles and stuff on 2002's 'Ephemera' compilation. I recommend it highly (direct from Temporary Residence).

'The Waltz' is almost Necks-like in it slowly evolving sound. A gentle, uncoiling tracks that builds from rotating guitar patterns, evolving into a sweeping, keening, droning simmer.

After ten minutes it develops an intricate post-rocking coda, drums pattering out a cuboid rhythm, guitars picking honeyed melodies, adding a little more strident guitar as it builds back up. Hypnotic.

Epic and awestruck, it's somewhat like Explosions In The Sky without the loud bits.

Very beautiful.

Download Tarentel 'The Waltz' (post-rock mp3) (Mediafire)

The Drift 'Hello From Everywhere' (from Blue Hour) (Temporary Residence, 2011)

Rolling, post rock instrumental business from the new album, Blue Hour.

Recently included on The Wire's Wire Tapper 27 compilation, another new track from the post rock dons The Drift. The departure of two of the band since the last album sees a shift in emphasis away from gauzy jazz jams, towards a more rootsy sound.

Lovely post rock instrumental business though - echoes of the more plangent sections of Explosions In The Sky and the rolling jazz bassiness of Tortoise and Polar Bear.

Check-out The Drift on Temporary Residence and buy some of their albums!

Download The Drift 'Hello From Everywhere' (post rock mp3) (Mediafire)

Explosions In The Sky 'First Breath After Coma' (Live, 2004)

Breathless, euphoric instrumental post rock business from Explosions In The Sky.

A piercing, repetitive single-note reveille introduces Explosions In The Sky's signature tune. It builds from there, matching melodic loveliness with blasting sonic power, conjuring up images of the fireworks of their name.

Download Explosions In The Sky 'First Breath After Coma (Live, 2004)' (instrumental, post rock, live, mp3) (Mediafire)

Download the whole Explosions In The Sky live set from Nottingham Rescue Rooms, 02/09/2004 over on Archive:Live+Rare

Parlour 'Over The Under' (Temporary Residence, 2002)

More angular-but-melodic postrock grooviness from the Temporary Residence stable.

This band are only a recent find for me, despite being wise to Temporary Residence's excellent taste for a good few years now.

Parlour deal in a Ganger-esque mix of lock-groove repetition with melodic trimmings. Warm, resonant bass brings to mind the first Tortoise album and the break-beat, boxy drum figures are channelling Can's Jaki Liebzeit, but the combination of elements and adroit guitar work and production touches make Parlour very much an original.

The seven minutes of gently evolving Kraut-y, rolling Post Rock of 'Over The Under' come from their second album 'Googler' which is highly recommended as point-of-entry into this band.

Download Parlour 'Over The Under' (alternative postrock mp3) (TemporaryResidence.com)

The Drift 'Horizon' (Temporary Residence, 2011) (mp3)

Great to hear something new from jazzed-out post-rockers The Drift.

'Horizon' is less laid-back and jazzy than previous outings, more of a riff-y, melodic edge. Strongly led by the guitar rather than the bass and drums, it's more angular and has a twinge of The Jesus Lizard about it, insistent though not as aggressive obviously.

There's also a hint of freakbeat, sixties, surf instrumental about it, mixed in with the head popping, locked grooving a la Super Numeri.

Very nice, rolling, instrumental bizness though.

Looking forward to new album 'Blue Hour' which is out in October on Temporary Residence.

Fridge 'Eyelids' (Temporary Residence, 2007) (mp3 download)

Exquisitely twiddly post-rock from the reborn Fridge from their 2007 album 'The Sun', Kieran Hebden (aka Four Tet), Adem and Sam Jeffers.

I saw them at The Green Man festival around this time and they were mesmeric. 'Eyelids' opens with intricate guitar interplay before the rhythm section bursts in. Fridge weave a post-rock tapestry of melody and math as the song moves through a sequence of, by turns, strident and staccato sections. Irresistable.

Download Fridge 'Eyelids' (mp3) (temporaryresidence.com)

The album is available to buy and I strongly recommend it - along with all the Fridge back catalogue.

Young Widows 'Old Skin' (Temporary Residence, 2008)

Ferocious, Jesus Lizard-y post-rock/metal from Louisville's Young Widows. Abrasive guitars and juddering rhythmic onslaught.

Download Young Widows 'Old Skin' (mp3) (temporaryresidence.com)

My Disco 'Closer' (Temporary Residence, 2011)

My Disco are an Australian band who have just signed with US indie stalwarts Temporary Residence to release their third album 'Little Joy'.

'Closer' is the first track of the album, opening with a nicely serrated clanging guitar line and building into a rolling groove with muttered chant vocals. The drums are assertive without being pummeling and are augmented with some nice metallic tom/kettle drums fills.

It's like a gleaming update of stuff like Th' Faith Healers or the anodised grooviness of Ganger. Or maybe Can with a lovely, metallic post-rock-y edge and a bit of Shellac in the guitar sound.

Well worth a listen.

Download My Disco 'Closer' (mp3) (Temporary Residence)

The Drift 'Invisible Cities' (Temporary Residence, 2005)

The Drift emerged in the mid-noughties on the pretty damn awesome Temporary Residence label with a brand of jazz-inflected post-rock-ish instrumental goodness that is hard to resist.

Featuring ex-members of Tarentel and Halifax Pier, The Drift drift (ho-ho-ho) through a musical landscape that takes in Bitches Brew-era Miles Davis, Kind Of Blue-era Miles Davis, Slint, Tortoise, Can and Eno.

'Invisible Cities' is an improvisational, elongated jam with a gorgeous rhythm and overlaid with delicious guitars and a lonesome trumpet. Pretty much perfect alt-Sunday fare.

Download The Drift 'Invisible Cities' (mp3, temporaryresidence.com)

Check-out The Drift on Temporary Residence and buy some of their albums!

New Music - Explosions In The Sky 'Trembling Hands' (Temporary Residence/Bella Union, 2011)

Ah, the elongated instrumental fireworks of Explosions In The Sky. An awesome live band with expert mastery of the loud-quiet-louder-quieter-quieter-quieter-REALLYFUCKINGLOUD dynamic. Really interesting to listen to but definitely not good to put on late at night and fall asleep during the quiet bits (check out 'Like Herod' - YouTube link below). Then again, Explosions deal in a sweeter more hopeful version of post-rock so it's not a scary as drifting into slumber with Mogwai's 'Like Herod' on - which is severely traumatising, I can tell you.

I wasn't so keen on the last album but, after a relatively long hiatus, they're back with a new album - 'Take Care, Take Care, Take Care' - from which 'Trembling Hands' is the first thing I've heard. It's less loud-quiet and more rolling, but equally dynamic and quite lovely.

Download Explosions In The Sky 'Trembling Hands' (mp3)

Mogwai 'Like Herod' (Live, from the Special Moves album) (Youtube)