Belgian label Zeal
have slung us a box in the donkey post brimming with some lovely back
catalogue 7"s ranging from post-rock titans to cult electronica
beauties, but also 3 new releases (we're
reviewing one each in a frenzy of diplomatic awareness) I've got this
CD by TOMAN called 'Perhaps we Should have smoked the Salmon First', a hearty title
I should say! It's the kind of soulful post rock with occasional vocals that I really like, with echoes of
The Album Leaf, Sigur Ros, the airy, melodic end of the Dischord roster & bands like
Dismemberment Plan & Rodan.
Clean, punchy drums, drifting atmospherics & samples, soul stirring
brass, nice keyboard flourishes & that fresh, progressive Chicago
sound (early
Tortoise etc) that sparkles still today. I've got to say there's strong elements of
Hood & Sierpinski in some of the arrangements here. Or perhaps
Explosions in the Sky without some of the tension & bombast. Really sweet accomplished music
