The folks at UK label A Cheery Wave Records have rounded up a wealth of the post-rock underground music since 2010. Volume X of their A Cheery Wave From Stranded Youngsters is an international affair, featuring bands from the USA, UK, Portugal, Finland and France. Post-rock is a catch-all description for a genre that has wriggled its way into doom-metal, math-rock, ambient and pretty much any other niche that is guitar-oriented.
Philadelphia based quartet Pillars gets the ball into play with the meandering Black Prayer, after which Portland's Coastlands turn it a notch with the distorted industrial mayhem of Marrow. By way of contrast Londoners Flies Are Spies From Hell contribute the almost pastoral All The Smiles At Night. The collection's highlight is the sprawling O World! I Remain No Longer Here by Boston quintet Glacier, an exploration of the back alleys of metal and ambient. Want classical strings added to the mix? French quartet Bruit ≤ have prominent roles for cello and violin in the orchestrated, cinematic The Machine Is Burning.
