Russian Circles - When the Mountain Comes to Muhammad

     Do you like post-rock and post-metal? Do you like it big and epic? Do you prefer it to be instrumental? How did sleepmakeswaves the other day treat you?

     Depending on how you answered the questions above, you may or may not take a liking to instrumental three-piece Russian Circles. They deliver all of the epic, ebb-and-flow goodness you've come to expect from your post-rock/post-metal bands, with none of those pesky word things gumming up the works.

     Russian Circles can sound jammy and unfocused at times, but they make up for this by telling a compelling narrative at others. If you've got the time to put eight minutes in, "When the Moutain Comes to Muhammad" from 2009's Geneva will reward your investment. Just don't expect Russian Circles to get where they're going in a hurry.

sleepmakeswaves - Something Like Avalanches

     'Post-rock' is a pretty broad, pretty vague genre label, but it's about the best I've got for today's band, sleepmakeswaves. They've got all the epic ebb and flow that typically earns bands the title of post-anything, and they're not quite metal, despite displaying some respectable heaviness at times, so 'post-rock' it is.

     "Something Like Avalanches", from the band's forthcoming Love of Cartography, even throws some electronic elements into the mix, with the result being a thoroughly interesting instrumental song that never feels like it needs vocals. Have a listen before you hit the hay tonight.