Blue

Ok, after much delay, I finally sat down with some music from these groups.

This is your Captain Speaking is similar to a more subdued Explosions in the Sky. It has a lot of similar elements in terms of the guitar led compositions, but it's got more, space at times, I suppose. I personally quite enjoyed it for what it was (the record was Eternal Return), but I could see why some wouldn't like it as much because it can be very minimalistic and not as engaging as other post-rock. That's not to say they don't have their climax points as well, they most certainly do, but I don't think it breaches to a level of "heaviness" like Explosions can at times (or at minimum, it's generally not quite as heavy as Explosions can be at times). The compositions are also quite lengthy, with only one track coming in under 9 minutes.

This Will Destroy You I think is generally a little more involving, and lush. They also make use piano at times, but generally the tracks are guitar based like Explosions in the Sky as well. It has a bit of a different feel then Explosions though, and I think is worth checking out for what it is. It's definitely a little heavier at times then This is Your Captain Speaking. The only album I've heard is Young Mountain, but I certainly enjoyed it. It has a lot of prototypical post-rock kind of bits in there, and can maybe seem a little generic at times, but I think they have a good, lush sound. Not to mean This is Your Captain Speaking isn't lush, it's just lush in a much more subdued way, if that makes any sense. The overall mood of Young Mountain is somewhat contemplative, while being up in some ways (it's certainly not a very "dark" record) and somewhat triumphant at times. It's overall very consonant as well.

Red Sparowes I still haven't heard much of, but from what I've heard, they can have their heavier moments, while having some really beautiful moments scattered between. They too seem to generally be guitar based compositions, but they somehow have their own flavour to add as well. They seem to have more dissonance then the other two groups, and generally seem to have more "dark" qualities in some of the tracks. There does seem to be a couple of nice, delicate moments thrown between it all, but I think it generally is a bit more heavy then it is soft.

I suppose it is all up to what you're looking for. I really thoroughly enjoyed the This is Your Captain Speaking record, and off the bat would recommend that, but it's ultimately up to your mood and what you're looking for. I liked the subdued nature of a lot of the This is Your Captain Speaking, but I'm a big fan of minimalism and consonance. I haven't connected with Red Sparowes as well yet, maybe in part due to their heavier sound at times, but I honestly haven't given them as much of a chance yet either. Perhaps This Will Destroy You is a good happy medium, it has it's more built up moments, while generally being fairly involving. Ultimately though, again, I'd say it just depends on mood.