Post-rock doesn't always have to mean sleepy, or pretty, or boring (though it can and often is all three). Rather, as a band like Fond of Tigers handily shows, the genre also has the potential to be progressive, offbeat, and unexpected. The Canadian seven-piece (!) outfit has been making a case for keeping post-rock weird since 2006. So far, it's nabbed them a Juno Award and a bunch of festival appearances, and seen them collaborate with Swedish musician Mats Gustafsson and Toronto's Sandro Perri.The band (led by guitarist Stephen Lyons) incorporates a dizzying array of influences in their instrumental sound, leaning heavily on the "post-" side of post-rock. Their new album, Uninhabit, was produced by Lyons and Tanya Tagaq producer/violinist Jesse Zubot, and is a cornucopia of sonic experimentation. Is there jazz? Definitely? Are there parts that sound almost like noise rock? You bet. Prog rock? Duh. Are there deranged neoclassical asides? Damn straight. The end result is challenging but quite listenable, and will take a brickbat to any preconceived notions of what "post-rock" can be.Out today via Offseason Records and Drip Audio, Uninhabit is streaming below for your mind-warping listening pleasure.
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