Records of the Week for 2007

Sankt Otten	Wunden Gibt Es Immer Wieder	Hidden Shoal	12.30.2007	The always consistent digital label Hidden Shoal bring us the final Instrumental Record of the Week for 2007. From Germany, the kraut influence is slight in Sankt Otten's more confident sophomore effort, but stll sets their brand of soft cinematic music apart from their bland contemporaries. The tone is varied too, from weepy to creepy, you're only getting a glance of this symphonic hypnotic masterpiece on the podcast.
Japancakes	Loveless	Darla	12.23.2007	A track-by-track cover album of the legendary shoegaze release of the same name by My Bloody Valentine could easily be a train wreck in the hands of another artist, but Georgia's Japancakes know exactly how to handle the source material. Honoring the original's ahead-of-its-time soundscaping but replacing dirty electric guitar swirls with lap steels and hazy layered vocals with boisterous instrumentation makes for quite the thrill of a listen.
Akira Kosemura + Haruka Nakamura	Afterglow	Schole	12.16.2007	They're both quiet, they're both elegant, and they're both from Tokyo, but the subtle differences in these two composers' aesthetics and how they make them work together are what make this collaborative LP stand out in the crowd of epic instrumental music this year. Akira is the master of the rich neo-classical piano layering and Haruka perfects the sparse crackling guitar lines, so combining the two with soft electronic flourishes creates an instrumental sound that is never too airy, but never too convoluted either.
Olafur Arnalds	Eulogy for Evolution	Erased Tapes	12.09.2007	Guaranteed to make even the meanest souls weep, this 20-year-old Icelandic composer knows how to tug at your heartstrings. He know how because he employs the most angelic piano melodies, symphonic soundscapes, and gentlest percussion known to humanity. As the title suggests, his debut full-length isn't just a eulogy for one man, it's the eulogy for all mankind.
To Be a High Powered Executive	We Don't Want it Safe, We Want it Secret	Ropeadope Digital	12.02.2007	We love new music at nowlikephotographs, especially when it's from a new artist with a clever name. This Ohio 5-piece is doing the classic epic instrumental post-rock but with a lighter/happier twist. The glockenspiel reminds us of Christmas time and we've got an early present for you.
Swod	Sekunden	City Centre Offices	11.25.2007	Gentle piano, field recordings, and film dialogue samples combine for neoclassical excellence on the German duo's second full-length. Electronic manipulation underscores the organic material, but is always subtle enough to emphasize the dramatic and hypnotic headphone-friendly album, and never distract from it.
Holy Fuck	LP	Young Turks	11.18.2007	Swearing can be fun. Swearing can be forceful. Toronto's Holy Fuck can do both – to the nth degree. Without the wail of a voice or a wicked guitar solo, Holy Fuck have to make every snare hit, every cymbal crash, every keystroke or ivory chord sound like a sack of bricks socking you in the face. While its intensity is by far the dominating factor on the LP, it'd be unfair not to mention that this intensity has a playful heart at its center.
Last Days	These Places are Now Ruins	N5MD	11.11.2007	Ambient music for the non-believers of ambient music. Graham Richardson piles on layers and layers of straightforward acoustic and electric guitar, meditative piano, and even sparse percussion on his 2nd release. Underneath all this, he also includes the classic swooshes and lulls of airy sound you'd expect from Eno disciples, but with a human and naturalistic touch unfound in today's ambient musical landscape.
Citizens of Ice Cream	The End	Soundscape Records	11.04.2007	Here is a whole new band to get excited about. They're coming from Malaysia with the first proper release following up a demo in 2005. Rumors have been floating around that they may be breaking up soon (hence the name of the release) but hopefully that's not the case. As with the real stuff, we want a second scoop.
Sleeping in Gethsemane	The Great White North	Self Released	10.28.2007	Loud instru-metal post-rock is possibly the last thing you'd expect to surface in Fargo, but here it comes, rumbling at the seams with only one guitar, one bass, and one explosive drumkit. Live, the band turn the venue ghostly with only a small array of bright white lights sitting on the floor in an otherwise pitch black cavern, creating for a doom-laden effect interlaced with gorgeous multi-layered fretwork invading your ears. Howling screams picked up only by amp and drum mics perfect the balance of destruction and beauty.
Tarentel	Ghetto Beats on the Surface of the Sun	Temporary Residence	10.21.2007	One of the staple nowlikephotograph artists. Tarentel has taken their vinyl only releases of "Ghetto Beats On The Surface Of The Sun" Volume 1 through 4 and put them in to a double disc CD of nearly two hours of glorious ambience broken up with crazy beats. Listening to the release straight through will make you feel like running a marathon - exhausted but extremely satisfied.
Torngat	You Could Be	Alien8	10.14.2007	The debut full-length from the Canadian trio may share a french horn player with the similarly-minded orchestral instrumental collective Bell Orchestre, but Torngat is a completely different animal unto themselves. While the Arcade Fire offshoot went for a beauty through destruction approach for their strings-meets-rock symphonics, the compositions on You Could Be hint at a gentler childlike inkling and pastel expressionism. It's slight without being ignorable and twinkling without being too cutesy.
French Teen Idol	Enlightened False Consciousness	Lost Children	10.07.2007	Solo artist Andrea Di Carlo is nothing like the American TV talent show that resembles his project's name. He hails from Rome, Italy, which braggably makes him a Romanian - a citizen of the most epic of all cities. His music is the perfect balance of electronica, ambience and voice samples.
Caspian	The Four Trees	Dopamine	09.30.2007	Finding a balance between heavy and heavenly could easily be classified as an impossible task. Luckily, Caspian's debut full-length defies expectations and crafts an immaculate blend of angelic guitars and swarming volume. The band's compositions embrace the post-rock ethic, but ultimately strive for a calvalcade of otherworldly emotions to besiege the ears, mind, and body rather than the rote exercises of loud-quiet-loud-quiet.
The Severely Departed	The Severely Departed	Self- Released	09.23.2007	This self-released and self-titled album is the first for the Brooklyn based two-piece. It's the perfect pairing of loud metal-inspired crescendos preceded by slow and moving piano parts. It's like you get two great instrumental artists for the price of one and the music just begs to define the word 'epic,' so of course we love it. They're hard at work already on a follow up to this release and recently added a third member.
Low in the Sky	We are All Counting on You, William	Abandon Building	09.16.2007	People stopped using the term "folktronica" when Four Tet stopped sampling so many acoustic instruments and The Books started actually playing their guitars. Nevertheless, there's not really a better term to describe the unique glitchy-yet-melodic mood that Ohio's Low in the Sky provide on their 2nd full-length album of miniature epics. Guitars that are both gritty and hazy lay on top of dirty percussion and buried samples, creating a organic electro playground of fractured melodies that still sound coherent and inspired.
Relative Q	Small Craft Exercise Caution	One	09.09.2007	The net label One offers several epic instrumental releases for free download including this recent masterful blend of ambience, swirling free jazz, and drone rock. It's the kind of album that both embraces the progress of technology and music, but still makes you want to curl up with your laptop in bed and pretend it's a good old fashioned record. It's so good it should make you want to show your love by donating to the label, because that's what true music fans do - show their appreciation for the music.
Cue	Wedding Song	Earth Gets Black	09.02.2007	Epic can be cheerful as Cue demonstrates on their second full length. Coming from Austin, this 4-piece uses every type of instrument imaginable to create a folk chamber sound like no other instrumental record of the week has before. From violin to glockenspiel, this orchestral outfit has a knack for never sounding hollow - always rich.
Redhooker	The Future According to Yesterday	Soft Landing	08.26.2007	After a slew of rock records dominating the charts here at Nowlikephotographs, we present you with some gorgeous minimalist instrumental music by the Brooklyn artist Redhooker. Featuring stylish Rhodes piano, somber and subtle strings, and whispy clarinet, this is truly unique modern instrumental music that's not quite classical, not quite ambient, but assuredly relaxing, moving, and heartfelt.
Tunturia	Maps	RCD Music	08.19.2007	Epic music is back in style with Tunturia's first release ever. It's been awhile since we've had a massivly open, echoeing snare drum, crescendoing album full of goodness for the record of the week but here it is. Back to our roots; this is the kind of stuff you want to listen to on a rainy day or late at night when you can't sleep.
Johnnytwentythree	JXXIII	Self-Released	08.12.2007	A bold marching snare drum leads the melancholic angst of epic instrumental post-rock Ohio outfit Johnnytwentythree's first proper release that they released themselves. Walls of guitars and ominous sampled speeches and diatribes line the doom-laden yet always hopeful follow up to their soundtrack for the short film "Thirty Pieces of Silver." Cinematic is definitely one way to describe their musical grandeur.
iRepress	Samus Octology	Translation Loss	08.05.2007	Instrumental post-hardcore for people who are sick of both hardcore and post-rock. This Boston outfit never sounds dull or lifeless nor do they aggravate or spazz out. Complex and restrained, chaotic and symphonic - iRepress are the instrumental rock band with chops that impress at their most quiet and their most erratic.
Colleen	Les Ondes Silencieuses	Leaf	07.29.2007	The minimal neo-classical 4th album for the French songstress focuses on often forgotten instruments such as the viola da gamba and spinet. Sure, it's a bit haute couture, but the starkness of the instruments (her first without any tape or digital effects) utilizes silence to enrapture and calm. This a kind of ambient music that is few and far between nowadays, and it's nothing but simple beauty and elegance.
Damiak	Micalavera	n5MD	07.22.2007	Damiak is the moniker of Abe Dichi who is truely an international artist having lived in Europe, Mexio and the US. This is his much anticipated debut release on N5MD which was mastered by Valgeirs Sigurooson who did work with Mum, Bjork and Bonnie Prince Billy. Micalavera translates in to "My Skeleton" which is fitting for the sound of his work: encompassing field recordings, live instruments, and studio editing.
Fridge	The Sun	Temporary Residence	07.15.2007	There's been a surge of bands lately coming out with records when we thought they had broken up or forgot how amazing their music was (the latest Couch record?) and Fridge is back! This new one is much more straight forward than their last release, 2001's Happiness but it's equally as good. It's a little less electronic and a little more rock. Would you expect anything less epic from Four Tet and a Harvard student?
Pelican	City of Echoes	Hydra Head	07.08.2007	Ah yes, the instrumental rock band that so many people love to hate. Uber-heavy riffs, double-bass drumming that doesn't show off, and metal guitars that have "too much" shoegaze in their pedals, as if that's possible. Just as the xhardcorex kids are falling out of love, NLP falls deeper in love with the modest grandiosity that is Pelican's new record. Don't believe the anti-hype, they just wish they could write a soundtrack to a beautiful thunderstorm better than this Chicago post-rock mainstay.
Maserati	Inventions For The New Season	Temporary Residence	07.01.2007	It is with great pleasure that we are able to finally acknowledge the pummeling driving force of epic instrumental rock that is Georgia's Maserati. Their previous full-length, 2002's Language of Cities, was a revelatory introduction into the genre for NLP's hosts, and we hope their equally monumental new record can do the same for others. This time, they've got ex-!!! and LCD Soundsystem member Jerry Fuchs taking over the drumkit very capably and sweatily, while complex guitar manglings and monstrous bass lay on top of it all.
The Retail Sectors	Subject Unknown	Symbolic Interactions	06.24.2007	Japan puts out a lot of great electronica and instrumental music and The Retail Sectors are no exception. It's the one man project of Kentaro Togawa with the first release on his very own Symbolic Interaction label. It's a refreshing take on epic rock that's upbeat and inspiring.
The Field	From Here We Go Sublime	Kompakt	06.17.2007	Electronic music always inches its way onto the NLP playlist, but dance music we usually keep at bay. But what happens when dance music gets ambient and shoegazey? The Field happens, that's what. Tiny percussion and washed-out loops pervade over an hour's worth of hypnotizing lullabies for the hyperactive. Critically acclaimed by just about everyone, we cannot deny the breathtakingly original sounds that Swedish composer/DJ Axel Willner has created.
God is an Astronaut	Far From Refuge	Revive Records	06.10.2007	This Dublin based 4-piece has put out yet another great record, this being their third, worthy of becoming an instrumental record of the week. This was is being produced by the band as well. While darker and more intense it keeps the crecendo-ing epic tone that we fall for every time. If you're in Europe check them out on tour and hopefully we'll see them state side some time soon.
Joy Wants Eternity	You Who Pretend to Sleep	Beep Repaired	06.03.2007	We were big fans of this Seattle quintet when they sent us their DIY debut in a 100% wooden case when we started NLP in early 2005, so of course we're ecstatic that their first official full-length has finally arrived. Crushing, dense, and yet never too much for the ears, this is epic instrumental rock that will never leave you "waiting for the good part." And yet it's still light enough to float on the clouds and sun rays that grace the album cover.
The Bird Ensemble	Migration	Self-Released	05.27.2007	The sister band of The Slow and Steady Winner, another NLP Record of the Week title-bearer, these Nashville musicians continue to amaze us with their blend of the hopeful and the downtrodden on two expansive compositions split across eight tracks. With the angular guitars of Chicago post-rock and the depressed slide guitars of the music their hometown's famous for, it's all brought together with an aura of epic.
65daysofstatic	The Destruction of Small Ideas	Monotreme Records	05.20.2007	This is 65daysofstatic's third release and most crtically acclaimed; rightfully so. They are a 4-piece from the U.K. playing the classic epic instrumental post-rock that Now Like Photographs is rooted in. A good step into the more obscure instrumental scene from bigger name groups like Explosions and Mono.
Tuna Laguna	Ripples & Swells	Guano Recordings	05.13.2007	It's often difficult to infuse jazz, funk, and general silliness into the overly serious epic instrumental genre, but these Norwegians have done it. The thumb pianos, scattery percussion, and wandering guitars might sound off-putting at first, but their sound is so unique and intriguing that it's hard to hold it against them
The Magic Lantern	Self Titled	Burnt Toast Vinyl	05.06.2007	This is definitely an epic EP coming from Sweden that features 2 tracks but over 20 minutes of music. Just look at the album cover to the left and you'll get an idea of what it sounds like - vast open echoing guitars that lull you into an ambient state of content.
Grails	Burning Off Impurities	Temporary Residence Limited	04.29.2007	Psychedelia and "world" music have never really fit comfortably with the stately cinematic sounds of NLP before, but Grails manage to inject these visions into the genre effortlessly and flawlessly. On the esteemed TRL label for the first time, their haze, twang, and drone are more than welcome on their label and on our program
Giants	They, the Underserving	Medical Abuse Records	04.22.2007	This is the 5-piece's 2nd release after a self-released EP back in 2005. This one found it's way to Medical Abuse Records for distribution. They're based out of Cedar Falls, Iowa and Chicago so hopefully we'll be seeing them real soon in the Twin Cities.
Lymbyc Systym	Love Your Abuser	Mush	04.15.2007	The official debut full-length from the Arizona duo is quite possibly the most perfect synthesis of post-rock and electronic music. We've been watching them grow over the past few years and when they opened for The Album Leaf last year, we knew they were going to pulverize the epic instrumental scene with a memorable record that rivals their awe-inspiring live performance.
Salvatore	Days of Rage	Racing Junior	04.08.2007	This is the 6th LP from the Nortweigen group. Released on New Years Day 2007, NLP finally got their hands on this and it was worth the wait. While the album title might not suggest it, the tracks are lighter then their previous ones making for a familiar yet new sound.
Stars of the Lid	And Their Refinement of the Decline	Kranky	04.01.2007	The legends of American ambient music have returned after six years with another double-disc album oozing with sorrow and even a bit of self-referential humor. From the behemoth release's title to a number of wittily titled tracks, SOTL have outdone themselves with menacing strings, calming horns, and their trademark pulsating drones.
Message To Bears	EP1	Self Released	03.25.2007	Message To Bears is the moniker of Jerome Alexander from Bristol England and this is his debut recording that is being self-released through Myspace as well as distributed through Duotone Records if you're in Japan. Jerome's folk acoustic sound is pushing epic instrumental to even more traditionally defined genres. It is the instrumental record of this week and you can listen to a track off of it by subscribing to the Now Like Photographs.... podcast.
Wes Willenbring	Somewhere Someone Else	Hidden Shoal	03.18.2007	With only a guitar and a piano, this San Francisco composer creates somber ambient music that demands attention. Alternating between modified washes of minimalism and neo-classical fragility, Willenbring's arsenal of simplicity both soothes and tenses up the ears. What's even better is that Willenbring is just one of many fantastic instrumental artists we just found out about on the international label Hidden Shoal.
The American Dollar	The Technicolour Sleep	Self-Released	03.11.2007	Brightness never sounded so sorrowful. Blazing keys propel the Queens duo's second full-length album into an ethereal state of heavenly sadness. With layers and layers of sweeps and crashes, this is the perfect album to bring together fans of both ambient soundscapes and crushing epic rock music. Be sure to tune into the Real World this month to hear MTV use TAD's music to tug on your heartstrings and make you, if only for a second, care about obnoxious drunk people.
Signal Hill	Signal Hill	Self Released	03.04.07	This is the debut EP coming from the Los Angeles based quintet. Inspired by a Six Part Seven and M83 concert, this album keeps the tradition of epic instrumental music alive and screaming with reverb ridden guitars. Showing that inspiration doesn't stop at imitation, this self released EP keeps things epic, taking cues from their predecessors but never stopping. creating a droningly original sound.
Eluvium	Copia	Temporary Residence	02.25.07	This is the 4th LP from Seattle based composer Matthew Cooper. Following up 2006's "When I Live By The Garden & The Sea" EP which was also a instrumental record of the week. This release has him using more neo-classical elements similar to 2004's "An Accidental Memory In The Case Of Death".
Explosions in the Sky	All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone	Temporary Residence	02.18.07	The bands 4th LP has them doing what they do best. Epic instrumental rock. This release was recorded in northern Minnesota after their last release put them at the forefront of instrumental music. They've been featured in numerous CNN commericals and soundtracked both the movie and television series "Friday Night Lights". They write the soundtrack to every dramatic moment in your life.
The Slow and Steady Winner	Narrative Euphony in Nine Parts	Self-Released	02.11.07	Slow and steady may accurately describe their ethic, but it defintiely doesn't describe the end result of listening to this week's featured record. Like a constant blossom or a infinite rainstorm, the Nashville outfit constantly refresh and rejuvenate with the basic three-piece setup on their debut full-length. It's remarkable to hear guitars so uplifting - this is highly recommended instrumental music for those that think a lack of vocals and a delay pedal can only depress.
Cougar	Law	Layered	02.05.2007	When Tortoise's John McEntire mixes your record, you know you're not going to get your average instrumental album. A rock band that's not afraid to throw in jazz grooves and electronic loops, Cougar's debut full-length does what few can do best: be as wildly eclectic as possible, with a wide array of muscianship and instrumentation, but still holding together an attractive and freshly cohesive sound. Urgent and relaxing, Cougar both purr and roar.
Postscripts	The Day After Tomorrow	Projection Projects	01.28.2007	One-man band Postscripts recorded every instrument into one microphone for his delicate blend of acoustics and electronics on The Day After Tomorrow. He destroys the notion that you need an immaculate or even hi-fi recording to produce subtle, nuanced crescendos and interwoven textures of carefully chosen instruments and melodies. Simultaneously dark and hopeful, this is a laptop artist that caught our ear right away rather than with multiple listens. We hope you feel the same.
Six Parts Seven	Casually Smashed To Pieces	Suicide Squeeze	01.21.2007	Led by brothers Allen & Jay Karpinski and based in Kent, Ohio. They started as a quartet in 2000 and have since expanded to a 6-piece with this being their 4th LP. This new record finds them moving into post-folk terrirory with more twangy guitars. Interestingly enough, Now Like Photographs got its name from the title of one of their older songs.
A New Dawn Fades	I See the Nightbirds	Alone	01.14.2007	Known for their general craziness at live performances such as going on improv tangents and playing offstage with the crowd, their recorded music is both an indication and a rebuttal of this behavior. From hard-edged post-rock to lofty distortionless numbers, A New Dawn Fades is very appropriately our first Instrumental Record of the Week for 2007.