May 11th - GIFTS FROM ENOLA are great on Xmas!

WELCOME TO (((((OPEN mind SATURATED brain)))))'s eleventh official post! The MP3 mix for May is linked from May 1st's post.

This post's artist is from the April 2013 Mix, this is track #30:

Pelican, Tomydeepestego, Finger of God, Russian Circles and Omega Massif - what do they all have in common? They are all epic instrumental that pale in comparison to GIFTS FROM ENOLA.

All right, as my dad just pointed out, maybe 'pale in comparison' is a bit of an embellishment. That's right, my 60 year-old dad digs these bands. How awesome is that? Answer: very.

Anyways, all of those bands are amazing, but GIFTS FROM ENOLA gives the listener a little extra present (see what I did there?) - I think it's the first guitar tapping out some awesome high riffing, combined with the deep palm muting of the second guitarist. The band also enjoys throwing some low-volume yelling vocals from time to time, which really adds to the overall atmosphere. If I had to be facetious, which I don't have to be, but I will - this band exudes a very spacey vibe, with perfectly timed intergalactic space battles. My wife has actually labeled one of their songs the "Starfox Song".

2006 - Local Eyes Betrayed the Mind cd/LP (a few great tracks, being 'Early Morning Ambulance' and 'In the Company of Others', but a weak overall album for them that focuses more on atmospherics)

2008 - Harmonic Motion: Split cd w/You.May.Die.In.The.Desert. (excellent "StarFox" tracks, not a fan of YMDITD because it was much too ... basic)

2009 - From Fathoms cd/2xLP (the masterpiece > the songs 'Benthos', 'Weightless Thought', 'Trieste', 'Thawed Horizon' and 'Aves' are absolutely entrancing while still being very thick and extremely powerful)

2010 - Self Titled cd/EP (a great overall EP, with 'Lionized' and 'Dime and Suture' being the standouts)

2012 - Well Worn: Split LP w/Caravels (this shows the progression of the band, although not towards my favourite style - as they hit that on From Fathoms, but this is what they follow through on with their final effort) (PURCHASE HERE)

2012 - A Healthy Fear cd/2xLP (their final release before disbanding - overall, not as good as their older stuff in my opinion because it feels like a dumbed-down version of what separated GIFTS FROM ENOLA from their peers on the earlier records - less bouncy guitars meet less thick instrumentation and the vocals are almost at the forefront here - 'Robospierre' and 'Benefits of Failure' are great, but my hopes for album of the year we dashed upon listening to it a couple of times)

GIFTS FROM ENOLA - Dime and Suture (official video link to youtube)

GIFTS FROM ENOLA - Trieste (live video link to youtube)

GIFTS FROM ENOLA - In The Company of Others (audio link to youtube)