Instrumental albums to check out (pt. 1)
In this two-part series, I will be sharing some instrumental music that I have enjoyed a lot over the last few months. I first got into post-rock more than over a decade and a half ago when I discovered Explosions in the Sky and still to this day, The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place, is one of my favourite albums of all time. Since moving to Zurich and getting recommendations from Heavy Weight Music, I started scratching the surface of post-metal, notably with Russian Circles and Long Distance Calling. Instrumental music is fortunately not just limited to post-rock and post-metal, there are all types of bands blurring the lines in terms of genre and pushing to keep the music interesting, especially without the focus on a singer.
This first edition consists of four EPs/albums between four and six songs and the next one will have longer albums.
Underneath each album artwork, you can click on the link to listen to the music on Bandcamp.
Enjoy!
Bubka were definitely one of the highlights of the Kombinat Festival this year as they almost set the Gotthard Bar on fire with their performance. There are no guitars in this band, as well as no need for them, as the driving krautrock bass and drums are complimented superbly by the organ/synth hooks. The second album from the Schwyz/Uri-based band, released on the Monobuster Records label, is a pleasure to listen to every time!
The Fribourg-based band describe their music as “Post-rock, bossa nova, mathcore, dance punk” all mixed into one and their first release is a fantastic listen. From the opening bars of the Battles-influenced staccato riffs to the final notes of the last song, Moricon.ne (I will let you guess the influence), there are many twists and turns along the way. Expect an interview with the band to be on Reverb Dream very shortly!
The Gevena-based trio were formed in 2016 but released their first album earlier this year. It is also quite understandable as the three members, all veterans on the music scene in Switzerland, are involved with many different projects including a collaboration with Sonic Boom. This is the only album on the list which I have on vinyl and it was definitely worth getting. This debut album definitely packs a punch. There are also a couple of live performances on the Urgence Disk Records YouTube channel including a full set.
I must admit that I’m still working through this unfortunately defunct duo’s catalogue having only having heard this EP and Le Coulis de l’eau live session. I came across the record whilst going through the Hummus Records discography on Bandcamp and the EP’s name is definitely an apt description of the music on the record. It also sees three quarters of Coilguns working together - the guitarist and drummer, Jona Nido and Luc Hes, as the band and with Kevin Galland at the controls. There is also an accompanying movie for the EP, The Short Movie No One Asked For, which is also worth checking out.