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Review Summary: One more forgivable attempt among the hundreds Now that we have all learned to live inside the post-ness of our age and we can easily bury the tradition as a misguided attempt to ground aesthetics upon ghost terms and empty concepts, we are ready to accept our new crumbled perception as a new homeground. Post rock has become a staple for the new millennium kid who strives to find some authentic expression in popular music, and maybe that's why we are swallowing tons of boasting reviews of how “sublime” and “transcendental” the latest X post-anything album is. If These Trees Could Talk seem to be the perfect example of such a highly consumed product among underground elitists and late-teens metalheads, showing the signs of a mild and forgivable weariness.
But let me make myself clear: the Ohio 5-piece band is a good one. Red Forest is an enjoyable listen and will manifest even better in live shows- for this I'm sure. On their second LP, we find If These Trees could Talk more mature than ever, crafting an album of elegant density. But it seems that this is also a problem on its own.
For listeners familiar with the refined abrasiveness of Russian Circles or the hazy climaxing of God is an Astronaut, Red Forest will come as no surprise, but as a rather affirmative gesture of understanding. The album is a revolving trip amidst somber melodies and blatant reverberations, with generous hints of evocative outcries. Tight drumming accompanies the fluent guitarists' dialogue which flows and ebbs quite frequently, and a couple of soaring guitar lines complete the picture and raise the instrumental rockers to the status of “honest post-rock”: good, adventurous music with limitations. To anyone following the accomplishments of Explosions in the Sky, God is an Astronaut and other cornerstones of the genre, Red Forest will difficultly be anything more than a two-listen sip of a “consistent and well-played” instrumental rock. “They Speak With Knives” and the closing “When The Big Hand Buries The Twelve” stand as the record's greater moments, the first with a memorable guitar fluency and the latter with a heavy riffing climaxing which serves as an ideal closure.
Still, Red Forest suffers from the prosaic approach the whole genre suffers from these days. Floating between post-rock and post-metal territories, they accomplish nothing but a quite dull repetition of stretched out compositions which lack the most important features that once constituted such genres as fresh and powerful: the subtle, wide-ranged dynamics, the use of silence as an important ally, the economy of structure, and the loquacious climaxing of simple themes. However, the demand of a self conscious rock music is long gone and we're left to wonder whether all these fans literally listen to all these second grade post-y acts or just acknowledge them as something serious and return to the good old Godspeed and stuff. It seems that post rock delves back to its unconscious, carrying a burden of remnants of sublimity, facing the fact that it should abolish its name in order to create something new. And it's cruel to think that such a strife would leave bands like If These Trees could Talk be buried under the time's quick flow.
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Album Rating: 3.0
streaming here: http://www.metalsucks.net/2012/03/12/exclusive-full-album-stream-if-these-trees-could-talk-red-forest/
started as a simple review but became a critique of the genre as whole
I don't think I'll listen this ever again, but has its good moments
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
It's a good review but I highly disagree. It may not be a game changer or top in it's genre, but it is a beyond solid album. This album does it job well, as far as post-rock in concerned.
Also noticed one mistake-
"they accomplice nothing but a quite dull repetition "
Think you meant accomplish?
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post rock bands and their deep names
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Im actually digging this quite alot atm, although i kinda like most post-rock in general
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
@Thanntos
mistake fixed!
As for the review, that was exactly my point man: post rock has become a just good-job genre, with tons of similar bands. Its nature is akin to repetition more than other genres and thus we get just-good-but-nothin-more bands
still, my whole perspective of reviewing revolves around innovation, so you are right to say that I was a little harsh on this
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if its not broken don't fix it, post rock maybe getting to the point where it's repeating itself constantly but it's still consistently good which shouldn't be a bad thing
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
I really enjoy this, as derivative as it is. A slight improvement on their debut.
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
yeah, i think it will continue to exist but in a different way- there are many great underground post rock bands but their existence relies more to the power they exaggerate on stage and less to compositions.
I think that sooner or later such bands will incorporate different elements and we won't easily call them post-rock
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Nice review. I'm a huge fan of Post-Rock so I should enjoy this.
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One more forgivable attempt among the hundreds
I think the right the right word is "forgettable" instead of "forgivable".
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
This album is nothing short of amazing.
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
One more forgivable attempt among the hundreds
@Voivod: it's forgivable cause I wanted to show that such bands are somehow excused for creating conventional albums and everyone agrees that they're not anything exquisite but they're ok.
but forgivable fits also ;)
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Their debut was an alright piece of post-rock, but Red Forest transitions much better throughout the album and feels much more continuous, unlike their first effort. There's a sort of synergy on here that I love and it was painfully missing on Above the Earth, Below the Sky.
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1st paragraph is so full of win. Great read sir.
Don't think I'll be checking this though.
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Good read. Pos flew your way. Didn't realize that they have a new album out, gotta give it a spin. They're okay.
You know, virtually each genre is plagued by this. A bunch of trend-setting forefathers, and legions of imitators that essentialy redo what's been done already. I haven't noticed this as much in post-rock as I have in, say, death metal, but it has to be said I know less post-rock acts than I know old 90s death tape rips.
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cant wait to listen to tis
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awesome thanks for posting this
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
This will probably be awesome
| | | Album Rating: 5.0
Ghost terms and empty concepts? Oh dear...I sure hope you're not a teacher or I'd have to rescue the poor children.
I couldn't help but laugh while reading. A very decent effort yet so akin to a 15 year old skinny/fat girl, desperately in love with the quarterback, who has read a million books all alone at the school-yard, yet hasn't understood a single sentence. There's no need to use "big" words in order to sound convincing. If anything, you'll just sound like the aforementioned girl's best friend who is secretly in love with her and is trying to find "the only words worthy of her" to convey his emotions.
Of course this is just my opinion but I tend to find repetition in the type of people I just described (blogs and websites of wannabe 15 year old poets just to mention a few million), repetition in their older selves (Meshuggah, Tool and other bands who piss on the canvas and stick a dictionary on it, only to build a temple next to it for the idiot followers), and...I could go on and on...
My advice would be to stop using words totally out of context, you're not anything like Wordsworth nor is your review going to sound any more intelligent. Drop the dictionary and read some good old Oscar Wilde.
Of course I couldn't disagree more when it comes to ITTCT, but I like it that way. There's a clear connection between your character, how you feel about this album and how you write about it. I for one am glad you dislike it.
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oh hey this band is the most generic post rock band ever is this more of the same or
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