Not much more than a year ago, a tiny, unknown band from Texas put out their debut record "Young Mountain" through Magic Bullet Records, a 6-song, 36 minute disc originally only intended to be a DIY demo sold at local show... more »s. It's fair to say that nobody could have predicted the year to follow, one in which THIS WILL DESTROY YOU went from local heroes to international darlings at a trajectory quicker than shit through a goose. The phenomenon took hold shortly after a brief basement tour of the west coast with labelmates SPARROWS SWARM AND SING. After a fun trip filled with good times and surprisingly large audiences (this was their first time out of Texas), the band returned home, unknowingly settling into what would become the eye of the storm to follow. Reviews of the album began to pour in, all singing unanimous praise. Hell, even Pitchfork liked it... inciting a scramble for the record at retail and online (the band became one of iTunes' top artists in 2007). This parlayed into the THIS WILL DESTROY YOU being name-checked in publications like Rolling Stone and ultimately being awarded "2006 Album Of The Year" by Rock Sound editor Darren Taylor. 2007 saw even more growth for the band, as their music started seeing placement in everything from skateboarding and paintball videos to cable networks (VH1, Fuel, MTV) to independent documentary films and even major studio films. In one of the most bizarre events possible, the music of THIS WILL DESTROY YOU was present during a high-profile briefing and presentation before the nation's top military brass inside the Pentagon (yes, THAT Pentagon) concerning the failed efforts of Hurricane Katrina. Meanwhile, the band stayed active on the live front, stealing the show at a sold-out SXSW showcase and accepting an invitation to tour the U.S. with soon-to-be-upstaged-every-single-night FEAR BEFORE THE MARCH OF FLAMES. "S/T" is the second album from THIS WILL DESTROY YOU, clocking in a 7 tracks and 52 minutes. Recorded and produced by John Congleton (EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY, MODEST MOUSE, R. KELLY), it is a stunning and worthy follow-up to "Young Mountain." Darker and seamlessly more dynamic and emotionally gripping than its predecessor, "S/T" is primed and ready to push their entire genre forward and continue to win the band hearts and minds across the planet. This is a landmark album by a band that will inevitably be mentioned in the same breath as MOGWAI and SIGUR RîS without hesitation. Dive in.« less
Not much more than a year ago, a tiny, unknown band from Texas put out their debut record "Young Mountain" through Magic Bullet Records, a 6-song, 36 minute disc originally only intended to be a DIY demo sold at local shows. It's fair to say that nobody could have predicted the year to follow, one in which THIS WILL DESTROY YOU went from local heroes to international darlings at a trajectory quicker than shit through a goose. The phenomenon took hold shortly after a brief basement tour of the west coast with labelmates SPARROWS SWARM AND SING. After a fun trip filled with good times and surprisingly large audiences (this was their first time out of Texas), the band returned home, unknowingly settling into what would become the eye of the storm to follow. Reviews of the album began to pour in, all singing unanimous praise. Hell, even Pitchfork liked it... inciting a scramble for the record at retail and online (the band became one of iTunes' top artists in 2007). This parlayed into the THIS WILL DESTROY YOU being name-checked in publications like Rolling Stone and ultimately being awarded "2006 Album Of The Year" by Rock Sound editor Darren Taylor. 2007 saw even more growth for the band, as their music started seeing placement in everything from skateboarding and paintball videos to cable networks (VH1, Fuel, MTV) to independent documentary films and even major studio films. In one of the most bizarre events possible, the music of THIS WILL DESTROY YOU was present during a high-profile briefing and presentation before the nation's top military brass inside the Pentagon (yes, THAT Pentagon) concerning the failed efforts of Hurricane Katrina. Meanwhile, the band stayed active on the live front, stealing the show at a sold-out SXSW showcase and accepting an invitation to tour the U.S. with soon-to-be-upstaged-every-single-night FEAR BEFORE THE MARCH OF FLAMES. "S/T" is the second album from THIS WILL DESTROY YOU, clocking in a 7 tracks and 52 minutes. Recorded and produced by John Congleton (EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY, MODEST MOUSE, R. KELLY), it is a stunning and worthy follow-up to "Young Mountain." Darker and seamlessly more dynamic and emotionally gripping than its predecessor, "S/T" is primed and ready to push their entire genre forward and continue to win the band hearts and minds across the planet. This is a landmark album by a band that will inevitably be mentioned in the same breath as MOGWAI and SIGUR RîS without hesitation. Dive in.
"This is fairly slow even in the post rock genre and i have purchased their EP as well and i admit that their EP is superior to this after a few listens. Its not bad but i was expecting more. To those new or newer to the Post Metal/Rock scene i suggest Red Sparowes or Rosetta who are superior IMO.
"
A good listen.
Matt Jacobs | Trumansburg, NY | 02/16/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is instrumental post-rock, which means long songs that take a while to develop and no attention-grabbing choruses. Some would probably find it boring, but I enjoy it quite a bit. I often like to read while listening to music, and some bands work better for this than others. This Will Destroy You's self-titled first full length album is great for it. Nearly every track is a slow burn, either building a melody to a chilling, hard crescendo or just letting it linger for several minutes. The band knows how to play their instruments, and there is great artistry and subtle beauty in the textures they weave. There has to be something that lets them hold a tune so simple for so long without boring me.
Besides the normal rock standards of guitar, drum, and bass, they also include some simple electronic elements in a few of the songs. Not much, maybe just a drum loop or something to add a little twist to the sound. I'm not too well versed in post-rock, but they've been compared favorably to elements of Mogwai and Explosions in the Sky, two bands I know to be favorites of the genre. It's not exactly something to throw on at parties, but as a personal experience, it can be quite interesting. I won't point out favorite tracks, because they're all pretty consistent and entertaining. The real difference is whether they build to an epic climax or not, and I enjoy it when they do."
If you like post rock........
D. Anderson | Colorado Springs, CO, USA | 01/31/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I bought "young mountain" from TWDY last year and it blew me away. If you are into Explosions in the Sky, Mono, or any Post-Rock Instrumentals you will need to add this to your collection. I think that this album is on the same caliber as "young mountain." Also there are longer tracks on here, more build-ups, and several surprises. If you're like me and LOVE post-rock bands, buy it now."
NOW I've been destroyed.
Tyler | Ontario, Canada | 04/01/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This Will Destroy You's debut EP "Young Mountain," while it was good, didn't quite send shivers up my spine like a lot of other post-rock bands tend to do. Their songs dragged on a little too much and while it was pretty, it wasn't anything TOO special.
So here comes their full-length self-titled album. This album, in my opinion, is miles ahead of Young Mountain. The build-ups are fantastic, the guitar work is fantastic with beautiful harmonies throughout and the climaxes are executed beautifully.
The opening track "A Three-Legged Workhorse" has many different colours throughout. The track opens with quiet guitar and light glitch drums...very nice, indeed. The acoustic drums kick in and everything goes uphill from there until a beautiful electronica-aided climax erupts. The rest of the song is really an ambient trip with soft guitars and hypnotizing drums. Fantastic.
Villa Del Rufigo is a very soothing, soft, percussion-less and ultimately beautiful track.
Threads has a pretty basic post-rock structure. It is a very beautiful song, though, that's for sure. The song doesn't stop for anything. It's a march forward until it's had enough and leaves you nearly breathless.
Leather Wings is a short little track...I'd almost call it an interlude. With reverbing guitars, a simple snare beat, and ambient sounds all over, it's truly a hauntingly beautiful little interlude.
Ahh, yes. The Mighty Rio Grande. At 11:18, this track stands high with another track that I haven't gotten to yet. There's a steady 4.5 minute crescendo until it finally fades into almost nothing again, just like it started. It then crescendos AGAIN into yet another beautifully full sound with extremely rich texture.
Clocking in at around 7:00, They Move on Tracks of Never-Ending Light is an extremely catchy and nostalgic song...something about it makes your mind wander to so many different things. The whole thing is essentially quiet, with glitch drums yet again...A very nice song.
Which brings us to the amazing conclusion that is "Burial on the Presido Banks." I would like to personally congratulate This Will Destroy You on creating one of the most addicting, beautiful, goreous, and powerful songs I've ever heard. The build-up is done perfectly with truly fantastic chord progression until it drops down yet again and builds up rather quickly, eventually turning into something absolutely beautiful...This is definitely my favourite track on the album. Distortion, reverbing guitars, and crashing cymbals are all used here and together they create something truly special. The first time I heard this track, I was totally blown away.
So, yes, I do believe this album deserves a 5/5. It's a very well-deserved 5/5. Congrats, TWDY. I'm looking forward to hearing more. Buy this."
Yeah, yeah
D. Cave | Denver, CO | 08/13/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"people want to complain about Young Mountain being a rip off of Explosions In the Sky or Mogwai all they want, but this release definitely sets them apart. The quiet moments here contain as much emotion as the crescendos, and in my opinion they blow explosions away in the emotive post-rock category (because EITS same after a while).
If you really like EITS and are looking for something more like it, i wouldn't recommend this outright. I'd compare it more to Mono's You Are There, but slightly more soft spoken. Like many bands, this is a band that is much much more powerful when seen live, but not to say their studio work doesn't do it justice.
So if you're looking for something for the impatient (or ADD), i wouldn't recommend anything remotely like this. This demands to be savored and sat with, to be reflected on and actually appreciated. if you're looking for something a bit faster and harder, I'd tell you to get Russian Circles enter (although that has some slow bits too), or Samus Octology by Irepress. For those looking for something with a slow build up, crescendos that will come close to actually destroying you, and straight beauty with power, check this out."