Grails

Following soon after the Black Tar Prophecies collection on Important Records, Portland, Oregon's Grails return with their first proper studio album since 2004 release of Redlight.

Starting like some throwback psychadelic Appalachian guitar workout and ending more as a Krautrock-inspired jam, Dead Vine Blues is an example of Grails' ambition to provide some connection between instrumental post rock and more archaic song structures and formats. Rather like The Six Parts Seven, Grails make use of traditional American instrumentation (bango, picked guitar, mouth harp and lap steel) alongside the more usual electric guitars and looper pedals of their post rock peers.

Dead Vine Blues is a modern interpretation of what perhaps might have happened had Led Zeppelin jammed with the Grateful Dead high in an Appalachian homestead. Taken off the suitably moonshine titled Burning Off Impurities - their debut for Temporary Residence Ltd. - this is a rare album that not only pushes the group forward but also significantly raises expectation in where the instrumental rock genre will go next. With psychedelic, ambient and world music all playing a part in the current Grails sound, it will be interesting to note where they and bands such as The Six Parts Seven and Grail's TRL labelmates Explosions in the Sky will go next. The band themselves cite Ash Ra Tempel, Erkin Koray, Popol Vuh, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin as influences and not only are these clearly seen in their output but also potentially incendiary points for their musical exploration. Post World Kraut Psychrock anyone?

Grails - Dead Vine Blues MP3 from Burning Off Impurities (Temporary Residence 2007)
Grails - Stray Dog MP3 off of Black Tar Prophecies Vol's 1, 2, & 3 (Important Records 2006)

Grails on myspace
Grails webspace

The Six Parts Seven

Hitting the shelves today is the new long player from The Six Parts Seven, Casually Smashed to Pieces on Suicide Squeeze. Refining the alt.country/post-rock sounds of their previous albums (Things Shaped in Passing, [Everywhere] [And Right Here] and assorted split releases and remix projects), the album is a distilled piece of instrumental americana. Not afraid of adding lap steel and Memphis horns into the rarified world of post-rock, they mark a refreshing shift from the more apocalyptic work of the leading lights of the genre such as Godspeed, Mono and Mogwai.

To celebrate the new release, their record company has posted a MP3 best-of, containing a couple of the new album's tracks (Stolen Moments and the divine Falling Over Evening) while revisiting some of the band's back catalogue.

The Six Parts Seven - MP3EP on Suicide Squeeze