Tomoreaux

3. AT PEACE, OVERLOOK BY TOMOREAUX

Genre: post-rock, shoegaze
If you like: Explosions in the Sky, Wild Beasts, The World Is a Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid To Die

When Explosions in the Sky made post-rock an en vogue genre, many soulless imitators emerged from the woodwork trying to get their piece of the Friday Night Lights soundtrack pie. Most of them, to be frank, suck. Tomoreaux introduces a different dimension to the mix, though, making for a spirited contribution to the post-rock genre with occasional vocals and a similar but impactful use of emotional and loud crescendos. - Nerdist

Today’s MOKB on SIRIUS XMU Blog Radio Playlist featuring Guest DJs Hinds : 1/12/16


Here’s the playlist from today’s My Old Kentucky Blog Radio on SIRIUS XMU, Channel 35! Also, available via OnDemand. This edition features Madrid band Hinds guest DJing the second hour of the show with some tracks they dig along with selections from their debut album Leave Me Alone released last week (order it on black, transparent blue, and transparent yellow vinyl now).

David Bowie – Fame
TOMOREAUX – In Plain Air
Seu Jorge – Ziggy Stardust (David Bowie cover)
Hinds – Easy
Bianca Casady – Daisy Chain
Hazel English – Fix
TEEN – Tokyo
Cross Record – Basket
Joy Again – How You Feel
Agent Bla – Strand
Brothertiger – Something About You (Level 42 Cover)
Iggy Pop ft. David Bowie – The Passenger
White Denim – Holda You (I’m Psycho) - My Old Kentucky Blog

‘At Peace, Overlook’ is Tomoreaux’s debut album and, as the album artwork implies, it’s an epic affair. They describe themselves as post-rock and shoegaze, however, with their preference for tones as crystal clear as the streams that run in the mountain range on the front cover, it definitely feels closer to the post-rock end of the wedge.

Opening track ‘Zion’ builds the atmosphere, with bassy echoes ringing out for days. ‘In Plain Air’ begins as an Eastern mantra with a falsetto voice adding to the mystique. The tightly-timed tattoo introduction takes us into ‘Vagus’, a song of many transitions. The drums seem to lead the charge here, with the guitars following firstly in an almost slackerish riff, before building to something rather grand. The next track, ‘Bennington’, was released as a single back in mid-2015 and it’s a builder. We start in acres of space, but before long the layers have layered, and the strumming has become ferocious. It’s tightly packed, but they still squeeze in an emotional cry and then the space returns.‘Taiga’ is another song of transitions. It starts with the grittiest riff of the record so far, which ebbs away and is replaced with a spacious melody. The grit returns however, along with some seriously pummelled drums. The pace slows for ‘Roads’ which starts off with a chiming melody that calls to mind Mogwai’s soundtrack for Les Revenants, but the dramatic vocal takes it somewhere else. ‘Constellation’ is as big and sparkly as Hydra itself. And then comes closer, ‘No Map’. Its intricate guitar lines and cool vocal bloom into a juggernaut of gigantic noise, ending the album as it began, huge and reverb-filled.

Described locally, as ‘nature rockers’, it does seem that Tomoreaux take their inspiration from some of the universe’s more upscale subject matter, but for a band who are based just miles from Niagara Falls, maybe that’s not so surprising.

Tomoreaux are on tour in the US and Canada promoting their album. Visit www.facebook.com/tomoreaux for more info.

LINKS:

facebook.com/tomoreaux

twitter.com/tomoreaux

tomoreaux.bandcamp.com/ - Primal Music Blog

Welcome back, readers! This week marks the return of buffaBLOG’s Album of the Week series—our weekly dose of recommended local music that we find to be worthy of commendation. We here at buffaBLOG have primarily covered Buffalo and Rochester over the past 6 years, and while both music scenes are brimming with talent worthy of mention, this year we will be expanding our coverage to include bands that call home to the farther reaches of the state. So with the new year, and our broadened range of coverage, the Album of the Week slot becomes the best of the best of the best of local music.

With that said, it seems only fitting that the first Album of the Week of 2016 comes at you right from the snowy confines of good ol’ Buffalo. Enter At Peace, Overlook, the debut release from post-rock shoegazers Tomoreaux. The album—though only 8 tracks in length—listens more like 15, each track finding new ways to redefine the term ‘expansive’. Overlook, released earlier this year on Admirable Traits records, is a mostly instrumental offering with songs that seem less like modular sums of parts and more like breathing, evolving entities. Remember Explosions in the Sky? Begin there, add a dash of Animal Collective’s ambient side, a hint of Radiohead’s jazzier, rhythmic side, and a heaping portion of feedback to find yourself right in the territory of At Peace, Overlook.

Songs like album opener “Zion” and lead single “Bennington” capitalize on the sonic swell, both songs beginning with nothing much more than a whisper before evolving into raging walls of sound. The crescendo formula is a staple of contemporary post-rock bands, but Tomoreaux pulls it off admirably with their own spin on things. That spin is particularly evident on “In Plain Air;” the song begins with a keyboard hook that adds distinct chillwave vibes, before gathering momentum to peak at a sonic wall that makes it hard to believe sounds like this come from a three-piece.

The latter half of the album calms things down a bit. “Roads,” one of the more ambient tracks, stakes its claim on brooding ghostly vibes, adding a sharper edge of dynamicity to the already dynamic record. “Constellation” follows with a contemplative, Sigur Ros-esque stroll. The eclecticism of Overlook is especially impressive to witness in a live setting; if you get a chance to check this band out live, do yourself a favor and make it happen.

At Peace, Overlook is picking up a bit of steam already, popular bit-of-everything blog Nerdist named the album one of the best underground albums on Bandcamp, check that out here. And if you’ve managed to sleep on this album until now, remedy that by checking out Tomoreaux’s bandcamp page right here. Streaming, digital downloads, and physical CDs await. - buffaBlog

"Tomoreaux, the Buffalo band honored to open the proceedings after winning the Canalside Battle of the Bands, is a band I plan to keep my eye on. Blending gorgeously effect-laden guitars with languid, psychedelic tempos and washes of reverb-heavy sound, the young band came across as a marriage of seminal shoegaze bands like the Cure and Joy Division with more contemporary space-rock outfits like Godspeed You Black emperor! and Russian Circles." - Buffalo News

"Formally known as Yesterday vs. Tomorrow, the rebranded four-piece released the first single from its yet-to-be-titled new album early last week. “Bennington” is a contemplative, building cut of triumphant post-rock." - The Public

"Tomoreaux first caught our interest last year while performing under the name of Yesterday vs. Tomorrow. The pair has (sic) just released its latest in the Mark Rothko E.P., a collection of anthemic Muse meets Taking Back Sunday tunes. Since then, the band has grown to a quartet while renaming itself to Tomoreaux. Late last week, the four piece dropped the first single from its yet to be titled album. “Bennington” sticks with the group’s penchant for the grandiose, but now has honed in on an emotive, Explosions in the Sky-esque post rock sound.

The band is set to open for Spoon and July Talk at Canalside this Thursday, so if you like what you hear, head down to the water early. In the mean time, check out “Bennington” below." - buffaBlog

"In the end, the crowd and the judges settled on excellent young shoe-gazer band Tomoreaux, a quartet comprising Jesse Kaufman, Joshua Keller, Preston Cofta and Kevin Stuitje. Coming across as a hybrid of influences including Joy Division, the Cure, Arcade Fire and a dash of Sonic Youth, the group was the obvious choice for the Spoon opening slot. (They were also the only competing band that had anything even remotely in common with Spoon.)

You can check out Tomoreaux on Facebook and BandCamp, and if you are at all into post-modern rock and indie stylings, I recommend you do so. Congrats and the well-deserved opening slot are due to the guys in the band." - Buffalo News

"Buffalo, New York is our next port of call and to a shoegazing outfit going by the name of ‘TOMOREAUX’. They released their latest single ‘Bennington’ to the masses back in June & we’ve added it to rotation. Check it out:" - Primal Radio

Local atmospheric nature rockers Tomoreaux have just released”In Plain Air,” the first single from the trio’s forthcoming debut record At Peace, Overlook. The new track channels the best of Sigur Ros and Local Natives, slowly building presence around a wispy, chiming guitar motif. The song’s apex finds the band experimenting with spacey chants and whispered falsetto, reminiscent of subtle Animal Collective vibes.

You can catch Tomoreaux at their CD release next year (on 1/8/16 that is). Show details can be found HERE; while you browse show details, please enjoy the sounds of Tomoreaux below. - buffaBlog