Empire Express

In early 208, somewhere in a Stockholm suburb in a disused shelter under a subway station, Empire Express was formed by two members of the Western Lodge collective. It wasn't long before they had uploaded some stuff to Myspace, self-produced an EP and earned a few radio plays in Canada, recruited a drummer, bass and brass players and began work on their debut album: "Valleyland".

With this release Empire Express have decided to tread a different path to the one usually associated with post-rock. Seemingly eager to distance themselves from the perceived pretentious, at times miserable, stylings of the genre, they fuse their take on it with vague jazz influences and something called 'kraut-rock', with a positive outlook being the strong backbone of everything. That's not to say musically it is far removed from post-rock, because it isn't; six songs last forty-minutes and it's nothing particularly outside of the box. Simple but effective chord progressions are repeated as they slowly add brick upon brick to their walls of sound over the course of roughly seven or eight minutes, and adept at it they are, too. It's this instant familiarity that serves them well, as the listener will be quickly able to identify with the tracks, but the band's obvious sincerity and ability is there for all to hear and will ensure you're attracted to this for a while.

Fans of Explosions In The Sky will surely appreciate this, not because Empire Express try hard to recreate their sound, but in the way that they have an understanding of how to invoke similar feelings of happiness - many have tried to achieve this and few succeed, but with "Valleyland" Empire Express do. It doesn't overwhelm the listener until a paralytic state of awe and euphoria sets in, instead it's warm and reassuring, like a blanket, and don't we need more music like that? - rockfreaks.net

(Through Google translate):

When Bandjo last year released their debut they built out the path that kultkrautarna in Audionom shaped by his too-neglected existence. Also Malmö This is Head made use of similar elements in their popvinnande guitar festival. Empire Express examines from the same school, implicating additional elements in the form of post-rock a la early Explosions in the Sky, jazz elements in style with a lite version of Do Make Say Think and grinding rock riffs approaching Sonic Youth-structures.

A Day In The Desert is a tiresome and simplistic disappointment and Asil (part 1) is a crescendobärande works that have been so incredibly many times before. But the fact is that the other four tracks all surprises with a melodic inventiveness you rarely find in the music frames. Strong 7 km transforms little funding to extreme views, Valley Country (part 2) is supported superbly by a pompous glowing trumpet, and the ten minutes the end makes you gasp for breath. Empire Express seems to have something big going on. - GAFFA (Swedish music magazine)

The post/krautrock ensemble Empire Express are based in Stockholm, Sweden. The band has been embraced by artists like Broken Social Scene, Stars and Faust - all Canadian bands/artists/collectives, and won The Music Think Tank International Awards & Festival 2010 in their genre with the song 'Stronge 7 km'. Their "top friends" on Myspace list Explosions In The Sky, Mono, Godspeed! You Black Emperor, ...And You Will Know Us From The Trail Of Dead, Do Make Say Think and Dinosaur Jr. They have only played a handful of shows, almost all of which have been in their home country.

And whilst this will give an indication of the calibre of this group, forget all that. You must know only this - Valleyland is fucking amazing. This is the kind of post-rock album that the titans refrain from making anymore, so thank you Empire Express! Valleyland has the perfect blend of harmonious melodies, whimsy and cascading sonics, so much so that opener 'Stronge 7km' - their first ever written song - was hailed by Faust's Zappi Diermaier as his favourite song ever. And he isnt half wrong - this entire album is exquisite, in the way that Explosions In The Sky are, but with horns. Thats Empire Express in a nutshell then - Explosions... with horns.

If this band doesnt go stratospheric this year, its a crime. Do not miss out on this one - pick it up ASAP and guaranteed it will become jammed in your subconscious for days - nay, months - to come. Gush... - Sonic Masala

Stockholm 6-piece Empire Express is set to make a big splash with its debut full-length, Valleyland. The band has all of the traditional post-rock elements down pat, but impresses with an amiable tone that seems specifically Scandanavian. When listening to this album, one can't help but smile. According to Forbes, Sweden is one of the world's happiest nations, and the uplifting nature of these compositions seems a natural byproduct of its ebullience. Is post-rock supposed to be this happy? Perhaps not, but Valleyland is a welcome alternative to the sprawling and glum.

On Valleyland, the tracks can be divided into three rough pairs: the (wordless) vocal tracks (1 and 6), the guitar-dominated tracks (2 and 5) and the horn-centric (3 and 4). This designation is not entirely pure, as most songs at least feature the presence of the other elements, but it helps to form a framework for the album and to provide the impression that the sequencing was carefully planned.

The vocals launch the listener into the album, but then disappear until the beginning and end of the final track. They contain a simultaneously calming and celebratory quality, as if saying both "everything's all right" and "life is so amazing!" It's rare to hear such genuine joy from post-rock performers, and even rarer to hear such buoyancy retained over the course of an entire album. Courageous listeners may find themselves trying to hit the high note in the opening track ("oo-OO-oo"), but most will listen in sanctuary-like contentment to the cloud of choral voices in the closer.

The six-note guitar chord progression of "Asil (Pt. 1)" - vaguely reminiscent of the piano on Chicago's "Colour My World" - provides an anchor for the other instruments. This is a continuing theme on the album: one repeating sequence by horns, guitar or vox operates as a base, and halfway through, the other instruments shift to a higher notch. The technique is most effective on the title track, as a nine-note trumpet passage weaves its way through a thicket of drums. The drums switch from shimmering to marching to pounding, upping the ante with each successive boost. The decision to allow this track to bleed into the next was a wise one, as the two seem to be part of a whole, even without the helpful labeling.

On the closing track, every band members gets the chance to shine; it's ten minutes long, so why not? While the title ("Famous Buttcheeks") is a bit inexplicable, it's the only part of the piece that doesn't work. The song makes a great finale, as it incorporates all of the band's strengths while continuing to introduce new elements, particularly the aforementioned choral blend. Live, this track is likely to be a showstopper. The band recently lost one of its drummers, but added a string quartet, the equivalent of sacrificing a knight to queen a pawn. But will they be able to resist the glockenspiel?

Valleyland is a pleasant surprise, perhaps not for the melancholic, but definitely for those who are having a bad day and need a boost. The world needs more life-affirming music, and Empire Express has been generous to share such abundant encouragement. - The Silent Ballet

Now here is a band that will most certainly go a long way with the right and consistant marketing. EXTREMELY PROMISING SOUND no one should miss at any cost. Check them out guys. The sound is absolutely beautiful. - The Sirens Sound