The Pirate Ship Quintet - Rope For No-Hopers (2012)

Artist: The Pirate Ship Quintet
Album: Rope For No-Hopers
Country: UK (Bristol)
Release Date: May 25th, 2012
Genre: Post-rock w/ mild screamo influences

With their debut full-length, Bristol post-rockers The Pirate Ship Quintet join contemporaries Leech, Black Clouds, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and a few others as artists who have released truly exemplary post-rock this year. It's not anything really new or groundbreaking, largely influenced by the string-heavy, crescendo-based, classically-influenced brand of post-rock played by acts like Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Yndi Halda, but it's pulled off so well that you won't really care about its lack of originality. That's not to say that this has *all* been done before, however: there are some mild screamo influences at work here, and a few brief sections with harsh vocals.

Sample song, tracklist, and link can be found after the jump. 

REVIEW: Toluca - Act I (2012)

Artist: Toluca
Album: Act I
Country: Russia (Moscow)
Release Date: October 12th, 2012
Genre: Atmospheric black metal/screamo

Summary: "Act I" is not only surprisingly good for such a new and underexposed band: it's also a standout among its renowned stylistic peers.

Review, tracklist, sample song, and download are after the jump. 

Toluca - Act I (2012)

Artist: Toluca
Album: Act I
Country: Russia (Moscow)
Release Date: October 12th, 2012
Genre: Atmospheric black metal/screamo
REVIEW

A short, emotional, 25-minute voyage of atmospheric black metal, screamo, post-hardcore, and post-rock, Act I is not a release that has received any attention, but it is one that deserves it. There's not much more to say about this except that its short duration and the fact that it's free from their Bandcamp page should mean that you have no excuse not to give this a go.

Track list, sample song, and download are after the jump.

SotW 07/15/12: Funeral Diner - I Was the Sword

Artist: Funeral Diner
Song: I Was the Sword
Album: Split 9" w/ Ampere (2007)

One of the single most unfortunate occurrences in the world of screamo was when NorCal-based band Funeral Diner called it quits in 2007. In 2005, they had released The Underdark, which was, in my opinion, one of the genre's absolute finest exaples of post-rock tinged screamo, and their final split shows that they could only go up from there. I Was the Sword is a nearly perfect track: passionate, brooding, dark, technically proficient, and incredibly emotional. This is one of those bands for which I would give a kidney to see a reunion and a new album.