Sometimes there are records which are that good that they in hindsight be regarded as the seminal records for a whole genre - for Post-Rock we haven’t had such a record since Bruit ≤ released The Machine Is Burning And Now Everyone Knows It Could Happen Again and blended Post-Rock and Neoclassical music to utter, breathtaking perfection. This year, another Pelagic band achieved the feat and produced such a genre-defining record: A Swarm of the Sun’s An Empire blends Shoegaze, Post-Rock and Ambient with the same level of intensity, the same level of brilliance and radiates among the stars of this genre. This is the Post-Rock record of the year and a new standard to hold every new Post-Rock record against. Therefore we give you a short review of the record and an interview. Sit back and enjoy!

I remember, when my friend and former co-writer and co-host Pat and I were talking about the most perfect and yet criminally underrated Post-Rock bands he immediately dropped the name A Swarm of the Sun. As Pat knows way more about good Post-Rock, I went on to check out the records they had released by then, which were Zenith (2010) and The Rifts (2015).

Soon after they released the mighty The Woods which was an even more phenomenal record than their first two. So, the junior outplayed the freshman and the sophomore - but can the senior now outperform The Woods as well? An Empire can and the even more amazing thing is, that it doesn’t even play in the same league. If the first two records were good and the third one was amazing, then this - and I dare not even write it out loud - then An Empire is a game-changer for Post-Rock. There are not many records to be held in that regard, maybe 10 or 15 at the absolute max, and Erik and Jakob will probably not like to hear it, but we should rank them amongst some of the best songwriting duos of our age. But let’s take a deeper look at the record for a moment.

One of the key factors on this record, simultaneously setting them apart from most other genre(-affiliated) bands are the vocals. Fortunately Jakob is such a gentle guy that he doesn’t even think about overpowering the music, which results in the astonishing achievement of producing wonderful harmonies, penning down elegant lyrics and still being able to intertwine his Shoegazey, somewhat British Ambient-meets-Indie-Rock kind of soulful vocals with the soundscapes, so that the vocals are simultaneously another layer of sound, like another instrument, and yet also so present that one will find solace and food for thought in many of them. Oh did I mention that he finds the perfect middle in tone and phrasing between Thom and Jónsi?

When talking about this record, you will hear many people (including me and maybe you too Pat?) using words like “elegant”, “soulful”, “soothing”, “emotive” - but dso not think that this is one of the records which float along on a certain scale, which has no teeth and no strength. No, multiple times there are some breaks and eruptions on songs like the 12-minute miracle that is “Heathen” where the climax is followed by a horn-passage that creates this kind of mood which is perfect for this time of year. For headphones and sofas. For candles and a warm cup of tea (with milk please). The main instruments on this record are the piano, the guitar and the drums - but none of them tries to outsmart the other and that is something that both guys are very careful when arranging the parts into songs and songs into records - it is never an idea of “alongside” or even “against”, it’s always a “with” and “together”. The soundscape comes first and that is probably hardest to define, here they did it to perfect. When “The Pyre” finds the four-minute-mark and the drums turn up a notch, you will still hear a very organ-like moog underneath it and then Jakob’s vocals sit atop of it all and the song is more than just notes and recording. It is the most wonderful thing I have heard all year long.

I could go on raving about this album for hours because every song means so much to me after having been able to enjoy it for months now. But I do not want to disclose too much, spoil anybody’s enjoyment of the record, but I will say this: If you want to buy the perfect record from every genre for every year, then 2024’s Post-Rock record must be An Empire. And now, please enjoy our wonderful interview with A Swarm of the Sun, which is also pretty special as it is a premiere for me. Hope I did the record and the guys justice?!