Moving Mountains - Pneuma

Release Date: 04/04/07
Genre: Post-Rock, Indie Rock

I found their self-titled CD on a post-rock music blog and I was completely blown away. When I found out they had a second album out, I seek out for it and I was completely blown away again at this band who is currently unsigned and already blending together so many layers and knocking down genre barriers.

Review: So how exactly do I review this album? It's essentially one giant song with the way each song blends so well to another. The vocals aren't pretty like Sigur Rós, but just like them, I like to think that Moving Mountain's vocals are another means of an instrument. Because their vocals aren't exactly amazing, but sometimes when I'm listening to an instrumental song, I want to scream out words. This is exactly what Moving Mountain does right, add wordless vocals and screams that don't really have a huge impact, but improve the emotional energy of the waves of the music.

The lyrics they use can be seen throughout the album so it's just another key for me. "Alastika" is when most listeners shall realize that this band is special because at the 2:54 mark, it amazingly unwraps so much power and raw energy that escapes the body. The reason why this band gets label post-rock is because of the transition between the big songs. And even with those songs, "Aphelion," "Fourth," "Bottom Feeder" are just barely 2 minutes, it creates atmosphere that's pretty on it's own. "The Earth and The Sun" is the 2nd to last track on the album and it has haunting vocals that borrow lyrics from "Sol Solis."

After everything the album has taken its listeners, "Sol Solis" strips it all down with the acoustic ballad. But the two epic songs that make this album one of the highlights of the year go to "8105" and the album closer, "Ode We Will Bury Ourselves." "8105" simply wraps a bunch of genres together from post-rock to emo to ska and punk. You won't be able to help yourself sing "Don't Fret baby" over and over.

And with the album closer, if the first 6 minutes wasn't badass enough, the song just becomes a riot of an anthem. "Some day the trees will sing, hallelujah."

Summary: 47 minutes. It's kickass through out and mellow when it has to be. If you're attention span is higher than 10 minutes, you'll like this album. This is a must have for anyone who enjoys awesome music. They are a small band, but their sound is huge.

Key Tracks: 8105, Sol Solis, Ode We Will Bury Ourselves
Rating: 10/10