TranscendNoise

30. Siavash Amini & Matt Finney – Gospel I've written quite a lot on the sonic world of Clawing and had the incredible chance to pick Matt Finney´s brain about his life and creation. Gospel , however, I didn´t highlight enough and this despite it becoming my favorite Finney moment of 2018 and at that one of the most jarring edifices of abuse and trauma, I ever listened to. With Siavash Amini at the helm, bringing to life three haunting soundscapes that feel like living inside Silent Hill´s hospitals and small neighborhoods, Finney went deeper into his past and explicitly stated what close listening unearthed in his previous work. The horrors of becoming a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of your own father, the aftermath that deals with unheard prayers to God and a religion unable to help in the real violence humans inflict upon each other. Maybe the thing that always pulls me towards Finney´s music is the fact that he is equally at loss as the next victim, his trademar...

70. Cavern – Sunday (Eater) Instrumental Rock is a tricky thing. Following the great explosion of many many post-rock bands, the most apparent evolution as a listener might be, that you grow colder and are harder to wow the more you know. The deep satisfaction and wonderment of listening to my first tracks of Explosions in The Sky or Jakob might never return and many new bands that emerge do not bring anything greatly different to the table. Yet, if it is clear, that there is no wheel to reinvent, you better learn to use it very well. Cavern´s Eater as a whole is a rare gem of two instruments working in unison and creating some of the best post-rock this year. While there are hints of Long Distance Calling or a general affection for post-metal sounds on the record, "Sunday" is a track closer to something Jakob might have delivered in the past. The clear-eyed outlook of the simple guitar chords, the layers that build and play with each other convey triumph and grandeur. H...