This Will Destroy You
This Will Destroy You

 This 2008 is still so young, and we are already witnessing the release of a little gem.

After the EP Young Mountain, it is time for the actual debut of the four Texans This Will Destroy You, all raised on bread and post rock, the more purely guitar-driven kind, the most old school.

Indeed, the album moves along the coordinates set by the masters of this style: primarily their fellow countrymen, Explosions In The Sky, who seem to be the main point of reference: fragile and crystalline arpeggios, expansive percussion, and some bursts of energy; here and there, you'll find influences of Mogwai (especially in the - few - guitar explosions) and a little bit of Sigur Ros, in moments that sometimes decidedly drift towards ambient.
Well, all stuff you've already heard, you might say.
I agree. But these guys truly pour their soul into their notes.
The songwriting is perfect, it doesn't matter if sometimes there's a sense of déjà vu: the tracks are moving, they work brilliantly, and they flow seamlessly one after the other.
It begins with the timid "A Three Legend Work-Horse", moves to the nuanced soundscapes of "Threads" (which explodes in a masterful way in the end), "Leather Wings" and "They Move On Tracks Of Never-Ending Lights" (with an electronic beat that is reminiscent of the Italian Port Royal) and finally concludes with the emotional lift-off of the wonderful "The Mighty Rio Grande" and "Burial On The Presidio Banks", two crescendos as predictable as they are evocative in their epic and powerful progression.

This is a great album indeed.
Don’t be misled: it is true, sometimes it all feels very "heard-before".
But at the end of the day, what really matters is quality. And there is truly plenty of it here.