This Will Destroy You - This Will Destroy You

[Blake Solomon]

This Will Destroy You – S/T
Record Label: Magic Bullet Records
Release Date: January 29, 2008

Americans aren’t exactly the first to admit mistakes or trespasses against others. We do what we want and we sure as hell ain’t gonna apologize for it. We clobbered the British despite being vastly outnumbered! One of our citizens invented Peanut Butter! I get teary-eyed just thinking about our many triumphs. But I’m, like, totally liberal, so I went against the grain and “Frenched-Out” by apologizing to This Will Destroy You’s merch guy at a recent show. I was looking at shirts and he became excited, “Well, you’re lucky because we have the new CD here already!” If the club wasn’t dark, smoky and smelly (three musts for any venue), he would have seen me blushing. I meekly returned with, “Oh, I feel like a total dick, but I already 'have' the album.” I assured him I would order the vinyl, purchased the shirt and scampered away with the American flag between my legs. I thought I was doing a good thing by going to a show and buying merch, but when a post-rock band comes along as exceptional as TWDY, it’s easy to feel like you’re not good enough. I would have set myself on fire for those dudes if they played “I Believe In Your Victory” live. How could I do something dastardly like download a leaked version of their new record? I guess this is my last attempt at redemption.

Search around this website for signs of This Will Destroy You and a truly remarkable thing happens: people with big avatars and small avatars will be cohabiting in a thread, each trying to profess more love for TWDY. Some have pushed them aside as vastly overhyped and, umm, under-good. Others (I’m looking in the mirror as I type this) could sit in headphone la-la land with the new album for hours on end. For me, a lot of this has to do with their smattering of blippy electronics (like in the never-ending buildup on “Villa Del Refugio”), but the band also has a way of letting the same, static-y, reverb-drenched note hang for minutes without forfeiting any excitement. TWDY is also commendable for its ability to compact the typical soft-medium-loud format into more tolerable chunks. “Threads” spends just enough time with irregular cymbal taps and smoothly ethereal guitars before escalating into the band’s signature, overpowering wall o’ sound. Complete with shimmering guitar sways and emotional left-turns, it’s less Mono and more Explosions In The Sky-meets-We Followed Tigers (with a smidge of You.May.Die.In.The.Desert.), which bodes well for any band trying to crack into an ADD-indie music fan’s iPod.

“They Move On Tracks Of Never-Ending Light” has a payoff that, so far this year, is unrivaled. Only soothing guitars are heard for some time until a billowing keyboard-organ signals the entrance of 65 Days Of Static-esque electronics. TWDY will continually lull the listener to a point where they may be nearly disinterested. At the moment all seems lost, the band unleashes another catchy, smile-inducing moment out of nowhere. “Burial On The Presidio Banks” screams album finale, as the gigantic guitar manifestations are bittersweet. And then you realize the whole album was building up to this last sequence. The devastating usage of smashing riffs and cymbals is a moment most bands dream to create. TWDY did it on their second release. It was a humbling experience for me and I’m just a lowly listener. I can only imagine what other like-minded outfits were thinking. Still, such insecurities are neither here nor there. What’s important is the multitude of memorable moments, from the unique takes on a strict formula to the accessibility discovered in the most high-brow of musical formats. This Will Destroy You may open even more up to the “other side of music,” and in my eyes, no band is more qualified to be the Pied Piper of mainstream appeal.


Recommended If You Totally LOVE: You.May.Die.In.The.Desert., Bone Thugz, Explosions In The Sky, Tortoise, Hammock, Eluvium, Ef, The Album Leaf, Followed By Ghosts, This Is A Process Of A Still Life, Pyramids, Blink-182, Moving Mountains, Four Year Strong, Set Fire To Flames, The Ocean, Stroke 9, Polar Bear Club, Trophy Scars, Sigur Ros, Tunturia, and of course: The Dear Hunter


www.myspace.com/thiswilldestroyyou

[Blake Solomon]

Note: I have uploaded the vinyl cover rather than the CD cover because the vinyl is way cooler. If you can't buy the vinyl, they have pressed a shirt with the design on it. Cop that immediately.

[Susan Frances]

Yeah, the album cover is really cool. Some of the tracks on the band's myspace site remind me of ballroom dance music. I don't mean to be offensive when I say that the music moves like a soft dance, it is actually something that is very cool. It's like the music from the Lord of the Rings movie series.

[shaysexpanther]

i love you for the recommend if you like: section

[ade]

This album really good.
Young Mountain EP is still on my daily list along with this one.

[Parocks]

oh gee

I love moving mountains, so perhaps I will find this enjoyable?

Nice review

[Rich Duncan]

Excellent review Blake! I have heard a lot of good things about this album and after reading this, I think I am definitely going to check it out

[whyte39]

well since the vinyl cover has a wolf, i'm sold

but then again it has a cougar...

[get2sammyb]

I think the cover looks dreadful.

[lou<>phillips]

That cover is awesome.

It's nice to see reviews that don't open with some statement like, "Once in a while a band comes along that completely reshapes the human conscience."

[singyoutocoma]

This is a terrific CD.

[boykosaurus]

Awesome review, the vinyl cover rocks, and I have to get this album as soon as possible.

[meeotch]

Excellent review. You put into words what I've been feeling about this album for a while now.

[DisShoAmMatt]

I'm so glad these guys are finally getting the attention they deserve, but this is only the beginning. They're gonna be big! Home show Feb. 8th!!!!

[Mens]

This band is pretty sweet. I have enjoyed their music. Good job guys.

[BGP]

Where the hell have I been, I honestly did not they had a release coming. I will make sure to pick up the LP though

[Mens]

Yeah, the album cover is really cool. Some of the tracks on the band's myspace site remind me of ballroom dance music. I don't mean to be offensive when I say that the music moves like a soft dance, it is actually something that is very cool. It's like the music from the Lord of the Rings movie series.

I really like that description! :)

[topher465]

I feel foolish for not knowing who these gents are.

[mogwaifearsatan]

Amazing review. Amazing band. Amazing album.

[Big_Guy]

fucking great band

[liarsenal]

Can't wait to hear the album in it's entirety. From what I have heard, it's incredible.

[markymark]

the LP cover art blows my mind.

[updownleftright]

HAHA i got a good chukle from the RIYL section. thank you for that.

this album blew me away, i'm really envious you got to see them live. FYI for anyone who is a music connoisseur, there is a unmastered version of the album out as well.

[Romancebled]

such a good band.

[KarolaBloch]

interesting... would of uploaded the regular version... not everyone will read the comments..
fair review. good album, need more time with it... seeing how i did not d/l the leak as i respect the band and any band whos stuff leaks.

anyways, i figure i'll be a nice guy and help out. i noticed you dropped a few names at the end there in the "recommend if you love" part. do you need any help picking them up?

[outro]

i saw them live about a month ago. it was simply amazing. such a great live band. i've got to get this album asap-- i meant to get it at the show but i was terribly poor. bullocks.

[Blake Solomon]

interesting... would of uploaded the regular version... not everyone will read the comments..
fair review. good album, need more time with it... seeing how i did not d/l the leak as i respect the band and any band whos stuff leaks.

anyways, i figure i'll be a nice guy and help out. i noticed you dropped a few names at the end there in the "recommend if you love" part. do you need any help picking them up?


I'm really important and I like the vinyl cover better!

You can't have a name drop without HAMMOCK!!!!! I hope you're kidding in the same vein that I was kidding in that section. If not, then so help us God.

[KarolaBloch]

I'm really important and I like the vinyl cover better!

You can't have a name drop without HAMMOCK!!!!! I hope you're kidding in the same vein that I was kidding in that section. If not, then so help us God.
Way to prove your immaturity with the first comment, i gave a reasonable suggestion. If you want kids walking around the store looking for that cover or whatnot, then fine. I mean you are really important and everything.

[popofeliz]

this band is amazing, so so good

[alexcreate]

i love you for the recommend if you like: section


to me it seemed like he just named every post rock act he could think of. it kind of annoyed me.


this cd's alright, for some reason TWDY doesn't stick with me all that well. i've only listened to it once however, but oh well

[Blake Solomon]

to me it seemed like he just named every post rock act he could think of. it kind of annoyed me.


this cd's alright, for some reason TWDY doesn't stick with me all that well. i've only listened to it once however, but oh well


yeah, the way bone thugz meanders around a 12 minute song about melting glaciers really reminds me of "The Burial..."

[Blake Solomon]

Way to prove your immaturity with the first comment, i gave a reasonable suggestion. If you want kids walking around the store looking for that cover or whatnot, then fine. I mean you are really important and everything.


Fuck dude, I'm very immature. Always have been. Look at the damn intro paragraph, it's hogwash that doesn't do anything but make me chuckle. I never claim to be some all-knowing, all-hearing critic. I just write about what makes me happy and what makes me laugh. I appreciate that you thought the review was fair. I'm glad you enjoy the record.

But for some reason people get a stick up their ass when music and humor or satire or irony or whatever bs literary term you want to throw at become mixed in the same piece of writing. I read your suggestion, and in an admittedly dick way, disregarded it. There is a link to their myspace at the bottom, people aren't fools. They know how to use a record store, regardless of the cover I uploaded.

[Stephen Chamberlain]

This record's cover is hideous. It reminds me of the window art in a redneck's pickup.

[amjetset]

you.MAY.die.in.the.desert
not will....

[get2sammyb]

This record's cover is hideous. It reminds me of the window art in a redneck's pickup.

Good description.

I still don't get why so many people seem to like it.

Or is a joke I'm missing out on?

[Blake Solomon]

you.MAY.die.in.the.desert
not will....


whoops, thanks for the catch :-)

[Dan CiTi]

???

[lightcollapse]

i wouldn't be surprised if threads ended up being my song of the year.

[randall814]

i met an awesome girl that turned me on to this band, and i feel foolish for not knowing about them from jump. she saw them in 2006 and talked online with chris king, the guitarist responsible for the beautiful ebow noises you hear in their music. we drove 4.5 hours from saginaw, mi to cleveland, oh just to see them, and chris guest listed us, blew us away with his friends and their music, gave us each a free t-shirt, and gave me the 140 gram version of their vinyl. it was an unbelievable experience. i hate to get sappy to a bunch of strangers that don't give a shit, but it was the best night in my recent memory.

they are easily my favorite band nowadays, and they deserve nothing but the best. support this band in any way you can. i have 3 leaked versions of their LP, but i haven't listened to it because we are waiting for the pre-ordered vinyl version to come in the mail and experience it the way it was intended. speaking of which, i LOVE the album art. i think that the 70's look to it and the involvement of wilderness is awesome. this band made me love post rock and instrumental music in a way only explosions in the sky, sigur ros, and ghosts and vodka have.

oh, and top notch review.

[Praetor]

Note: I have uploaded the vinyl cover rather than the CD cover because the vinyl is way cooler. If you can't buy the vinyl, they have pressed a shirt with the design on it. Cop that immediately.
Nobody listen to Blake, as he is a liar, and everybody knows that the CD cover > the vinyl cover.

[alexcreate]

yeah, the way bone thugz meanders around a 12 minute song about melting glaciers really reminds me of "The Burial..."


uh... i'm just saying it was really unnecessary? you could've had just EITS and that would've been fine, considering most of the other bands you mentioned don't sound anything like twdy

[Blake Solomon]

uh... i'm just saying it was really unnecessary? you could've had just EITS and that would've been fine, considering most of the other bands you mentioned don't sound anything like twdy



lol, i know, the whole section was a joke. No hard feelings, didn't mean to annoy you.

[youngmountain]

Blake you know magic bullet records just posted this review in a bulletin

[Blake Solomon]

Nobody listen to Blake, as he is a liar, and everybody knows that the CD cover > the vinyl cover.

THERE GOES ALL OF MY CREDIBILITY!!!

[alexcreate]

lol, i know, the whole section was a joke. No hard feelings, didn't mean to annoy you.



ohhh, okay. sorry, i got confused.



anyway

sigur ros > moving mountains/ef/album leaf/eluvium (four way tie) > tortoise > eits (a couple of their songs) > ymditd > this

[youngmountain]

ohhh, okay. sorry, i got confused.



anyway

sigur ros > moving mountains/ef/album leaf/eluvium (four way tie) > tortoise > eits (a couple of their songs) > ymditd > this

sigur ros > moving mountains/ef/album leaf/eluvium (four way tie) > tortoise > eits (a couple of their songs) > ymditd > this > you (apparently)

[mogwaifearsatan]

LOL @ EITS being better than this band. EITS is the poster children for this genre and one of my favorite bands ever, but seriously, this band is doing much bigger and better things, as are most post rock bands these days. Bands like TWDY, Yndi Halda, Caspian, and Mono are taking the genre to exciting new places while EITS writes the same pretty riffs over and over.

Also... if you like this kind of music, with a slightly mathier, poppier edge, check out To Be A High Powered Executive from Cleveland. www.myspace.com/tobeahighpoweredexecutive

[alexcreate]

LOL @ EITS being better than this band. EITS is the poster children for this genre and one of my favorite bands ever, but seriously, this band is doing much bigger and better things, as are most post rock bands these days. Bands like TWDY, Yndi Halda, Caspian, and Mono are taking the genre to exciting new places while EITS writes the same pretty riffs over and over.

Also... if you like this kind of music, with a slightly mathier, poppier edge, check out To Be A High Powered Executive from Cleveland. www.myspace.com/tobeahighpoweredexecutive (http://www.myspace.com/tobeahighpoweredexecutive)


all bands you listed are better than TDWY and EITS.

and to be a high.. is awesome, i've recently gotten into them



sigur ros > moving mountains/ef/album leaf/eluvium (four way tie) > tortoise > eits (a couple of their songs) > ymditd > this > you (apparently)

oh and why?

i'm not saying twdy is bad they just don't really grab me that well



and i really like a couple eits tracks, but no full album of theirs has ever done me really anything

[yoyoninjagirl]

great review. This record is great.

[Praetor]

THERE GOES ALL OF MY CREDIBILITY!!!
haha

ps: I forgot to mention that this was a great review.

[Brent_Eyestone]

On behalf of both the band and label, this is seriously the most fun and awesome review of the album yet. We'd certainly party with Blake. And I imagine at some point, we'd all take a massive, collective upper decker shit in the toilets of each and every uptight internet "post-rock fan" who is clearly full of him/herself. I swear, every time I have to read someone espousing the tenets of "post-rock" like it was a fucking dissertation, my brain throbs like a fresh inmate's asshole must feel post-cock. It's music. Its creators are having fun - you should too. BONE THUGZ, son. Bone Thugz.

[pinklipgloss]

hahah love the riyl section

[Alex Djaferis]

young mountain was better. this ones good but its all a bit samey.

i loved their use of electronic sounds becoming more apparent

[cereal4life]

I just came in here to say that that album cover is pretty cheeseball!

[mogwaifearsatan]

I think I just got owned lol

[alexcreate]

I think I just got owned lol


me too but i don't really care.

i never said TWDY is bad, they're good. there's just.. better.

[dostoevsky]

Good band and I liked the review.

I knew something about 'Burial on the Presidio Banks' reminded me of something! About halfway through the chord progression is a bit like 'Razorlight -I Can't Stop This Feeling I've Got' ;D

[Barksdale]

On behalf of both the band and label, this is seriously the most fun and awesome review of the album yet. We'd certainly party with Blake. And I imagine at some point, we'd all take a massive, collective upper decker shit in the toilets of each and every uptight internet "post-rock fan" who is clearly full of him/herself. I swear, every time I have to read someone espousing the tenets of "post-rock" like it was a fucking dissertation, my brain throbs like a fresh inmate's asshole must feel post-cock. It's music. Its creators are having fun - you should too. BONE THUGZ, son. Bone Thugz.

This is... ridiculous.
I'm all for TWDY and free speech and whatever but I find it a little silly that record label owners are prowling forums taking cheap shots at people who don't like the new record. If you take this at face value, that's exactly what it is. Someone doesn't like the record, they try to explain why (albeit with a dose of pompous stupidity for sure) and then the label owner goes on the attack against them. Amazing. Surely you knew this kind of "post-cock" sentiment existed before the record was released, so why bother acknowledging it with a post like this.
Lame.
I enjoy the S/T record a bunch but shit like this just detracts from the point.

[Gustavatron.]

This is my favourite album of all time. No lie.

[UpperNinety]

The merch guy is mainly the drummer.
well at least when I saw them five times the past year. I love the fact that they're from San Marcos, TX since thats where I go to school. They're gracious to play like a five minute walk from my dorm. I can easily say this and young mountain still get heavy plays on my computer as well as in my car. I'm actually really wanting them to stop playing in europe for a bit and just tour all of texas like they did before. If they come to san marcos or houston I will totally be there in a heartbeat. I've filmed a lot of songs at their shows and know for a fact that they put on an excelent show every time I'm there.

when they do come back, I need to give them an idea that band stickers would be a nice addition to their merch. The guys are totally down to earth where they wouldn't mind having a beer with you at the bar before or after the show.

[aksensavvy]

I really enjoy this album. Sadly, I really dislike making comparisons among TWDY, EITS, and any other "post-rock" group. Each band has their own story to tell, and to say that one is better than another is unfair.

[Mwo5051]

This album is packed with so much emotion. Definitley well written review.