Loraine

You’re reading me, so you’ve likely read me, and if you’ve read me, you know I went through a pretty deep post rock phase a couple of years ago, and it was a good time. I have nothing but fond memories of it. I was – sure, I guess, still am – a bit of what the call a “catharsis junkie,” a sometimes derisive term denoting the fascination with and/or outright clamoring for the emotional crescendos that accompany the dynamics of post rock performances. See, a lot of bands within this style – and the obvious poster child is Explosions in the Sky – compose for the right brain, the quadrant where all the feeling is, and are adept at building up and crashing, deliberately hitting that sweet spot that raises goosebumps.

Loraine is no different. They can do that – they utilize tones with that feeling, they get there with ease. Their songs begin as diminutive indie rock tunes, parts are added, crescendos are built, and then they crash back down to earth, leaving you feeling just a little bit better about yourself. It’s textbook – the guitar lines of “After Everything, More than Anything” weave back and forth, and they culminate in a distorted, cymbal-crashing anthem where any audience member who doesn’t have his or her hands raised to heaven will likely be glared at disapprovingly by peers. Oh, and they don’t take ten, fifteen, twenty minutes to get there – on An Autumn Evening, they’re in and out before the clock strikes six minutes on every single track.



I’m probably oversimplifying the mechanics and the delivery, but too much post rock will do that to you, make you cynical and more likely to write off a quality band just because they’re doing what the other guys are doing. Loraine is a quality band – they’re doing it right. (Even if the band name could use some work.) The spots are sweet, the peaks are high, the valleys are deftly executed. I like this record, doggone it. I like how the guitars mimic music box chimes on “Heaven,” how “Hello, Morning” revs into something much more marshal mid-song before positively gleaming by the end, and how the record opens with a 38-second sound snippet called “…Kablooie.” And of course the best part of all is the divebombing guitar two-thirds of the way through “Jonathan Lou (1912)” – I don’t want to get all mushy or over-dramatic about anything here (that’s part of the problem with this style of music anyway, it can get cloying in a hurry), but man, is that a high point.



I was pretty positive I wasn’t going to give straight post rock bands a spin for this column, just because I wasn’t sure what to write about them anymore. I used up all my adjectives, just like I was positive there wasn’t anything new to discover within this particular genre. But you know what? It ends up not even mattering, because there’s still a lot to feel good about when those guitars ring and those drums crash and you can breathe deep and be glad you’re alive. I needed that pick-me-up today, so I’m glad I gave Loraine a shot. They didn’t disappoint. - Critical Masses

"An Autumn Evening EP" by Loraine is a Post-Rock EP.

The opening track to the EP (appropriately titled "...Kablooie") starts off with foreboding noise and tone, before a sudden explosion, then reverting back to the tones. The second song finds tubular guitar picking rising from the explosion, and a picking line that progresses before finally releasing into larger productions filled with harsh and abrasive distorted guitar duets that eventually die off into the memory of original guitar picking. The third song follows a very similar formula to the second.

Their are a few surprises mixed into production, such as the strange and welcome synth in the track "Heaven".

Overall "An Autumn Evening EP" is very standard Post-Rock, and doesn't really deviate outside the preordained genre constraints pioneered by bands like "Explosions in the Sky". The EP remains instrumental, and the EP works well as thinking music.

"An Autumn Evening EP" by Loraine is available generously at a "Pick Your Own Price" deal at their Bandcamp page. - Examiner.com

- - The Siren Sound

Post rock is rock and roll’s misunderstood child and historically one of the most criticized genres in the rock world. Yet this style of music continues to soar, a dancer in flight across the music stage- oblivious of the audience.

Post Rock often carries the darkness of the world, often to remind us that despair is real and one day will encompass our common soul.

Post Rock is the visionary, the prophet on the fourth day and the path forward that lies empty before His bare, scarred feet.

Loraine is an Atlanta-based post rock band that may not be diving as deep into the darkness as bands like Thula Borah. However, their latest EP creation, An Autumn Evening, is a dynamic display of timbre’ and texture. Each transition perfectly blends into the next.

In the opening track Kablooie, there is the expected explosion, but then the racing forward of a thunderous sound attacks the listener, nuclear machine heat flying at us. The old world is gone and the new has arrived and the machines rattle off into the distant horizon as the song transitions into the beautiful opening of After Everything, More Than Anything. In this song, and again in the final track Jonathan Lou (1912), Loraine’s repetitions powerfully crescendo then subside into ethereal passages of sublime synchronicity .

The third track on this wonderfully arranged and produced EP is Hello, Morning and the opening of the song reminds us of the sun rising into a new day. The progressions are plainly written and performed and we are lulled into the smell of coffee and the repetition of our daily schedule.

But this song carries the whole morning with it as the music picks up the pace, the rush to get ready, the drive to work. Then Hello, Morning gives us its full arrival with a beautiful crescendo that simply fills our soul with the greatness of the day- a brilliant song saying hello to the morning in the most perfect of ways.

The next track, Heaven, has a more positive, plaintive approach and feel that sets it slightly apart from the rest of the album. The bright opening progression slowly builds on each repetition until the beating of the drums signals the next transition and it is a great one, with the electric guitar layering the landscape for the rest of the instruments to grow upon. I don’t know if this is how music will sound in Heaven, but I sure hope God is listening because I would like it on my eternal playlist.

The final track arrives way too soon with a reflective finger-picked progression that speaks of melancholy and loss.


The drums, which are at their best on this song, slowly take the progression to the next level, and we are met with a powerful “Explosions in the Sky” movement that dynamically creates a strong texture built on the layers of rising music. Just as quickly as this wall to wall sound experience arrives, the movement fades into a soft climax, completing the circle of the song and leaving us with an uncomfortable silence.

Justin Young and Company have produced an excellent EP that only has one major fault- it should be a full album, perhaps a double album because we don’t want to stop listening.

Loraine is:

Ryan Love
Justin Young
Josh Mendez
Eric Anderson
Cameron Merritt

Dante's Prog Blog Inferno (http://s.tt/1uEID) - Dante's Prog Blog Inferno

Named after Marty McFly’s mother in the Back to the Future, Loraine is a post-rock outfit from Atlanta, Georgia who recently released their debut EP, An Autumn Evening, at the end of October– a fitting and timely release, complimented by the season at the time and the EP’s title, and serving as prelude to the winter chill that has begun to settle in. Clocking in at just under twenty minutes, this is little gem bypasses any unwanted fluff and cuts straight to the quintet jam-packing a vibrant and heady wall-of-sound into less than half an hour’s time, pushing the boundaries of bedroom, D.I.Y. home recordings, which are all very refreshing characteristics to observe in a new, up-and-coming band. Another one of the great things about this EP is that its flows is so seamless that it might as well be one song; you might even not immediately realize as each track comes to pass, that you’re halfway through the album. This is perhaps a tribute to the writing style of lengthy “scores” broken down into movements, a method made popular by classical music and such contemporary post-rock legends as Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

An Autumn Evening opens with the cinematic crash of “Kablooie,” an intro that that gently subsides into the gently-picked progression of arpeggios of “After Everything, More Than Anything.” A very simple transition, but very effective for an intro as it helps set the tone and mood for the rest of the EP. “After Everything, More Than Anything” begins very downtempo and soft, but soon rises into an emotional rush that harks back to some of the members’ past experiences playing with post-hardcore projects. Loraine‘s tone resonates somewhat with the earlier sound of The Smashing Pumpkins, a compelling and empathetic scream that sings out to you amongst the chaos of the crashes and distorted guitars that power through the climax. And even though Explosions in the Sky is an obvious staple of many post-rock band comparisons, the rousing crescendos that blend smoothly into quiet passages which Loraine exploit resourcefully sound very much influenced by their popularization of that sound.
Warm white noise feeding back leads into “Hello, Morning” that gradually turns into a ostinato pattern which is met with a sub-melodic harmony, creating a nurturing, and compelling guide right into another swell and climax which is instigated by the intricate interplay of these lines; culminating in the grooving flow which Loraine prove highly adept at executing. The taut tremolo picking allows the track to transcend into a dreamy other-world, with it’s lilting melody that settles you in as another rush of anthemic power takes over. With every repetition of the opening riff in “Heaven,” the song builds and builds, with such subtle intricacy that, we are again up lifted by another moment heralded by a powerfully soaring wall-of-sound. You may have noticed that Loraine‘s style features a flow of many rises and falls, but is not exhausting in the slightest as each one is executed very deliberately and methodically. Although most of the songs are more than five minutes, there is no wasted time or space as they ensure that everything is kept in motion. The last track, “Jonathan Lou (1912),” is a mournful, lamenting piece that brings the EP to a close as the slow, reflective nature pours out without resorting to clichés, which soon picks up in a grand finale that has the guitars wailing out with a sound that’s almost akin to bagpipes, which acts as an assure send-off to all who have journeyed the voyage. An Autumn Evening is currently available as a digital release via the band’s Bandcamp at “Name Your Own Price/Free.” Loraine tells us that they have already begun work on putting together a full-length, which could be a potentially epic release considering their acute attention to scoring and arranging on this extended play. - The Process Records

I’d say that post-rock is definitely one of the more difficult genres to stand out in. Although plenty of bands succeed in creating a worthwhile representation of the style, you would often be hard-pressed to remember any of their material. Potentially great music, just not quite memorable enough. Today, I’m here to turn your ear on to Loraine, a band out of Atlanta that just released their first EP, entitled An Autumn Evening. Although the group, with just over 2,000 likes on Facebook, is still fairly underground, this five-track EP is a product that deserves a much wider audience. Every note is played with great emotion, every song is a perfect transition from the last, and every moment listening is spent in blissful reverence. Strong words to start out with, I know, but post-rock seems to have a way of calming your mind and bringing out the more sentimental thoughts. The point is that it’s clear this is a band that has connected with their music on an deep and impassioned level.

Now before I continue any further, I’d first like to say that the album artwork (pictured above) is an absolutely stunning work of art done by modern impressionistic artist Leonid Afremov. It also happens to go beautifully with the design of my website, so major brownie points for that. Now, to business. A few weeks ago, I posted about the new album from the band Swans, which also has post-rock tendencies. While that album focuses on the darker, more “noise”-oriented side of the genre, Loraine brings a much more ambient and melodic sound to the table.

An Autumn Evening is a shining example of simplicity at its best. The same universal principles of the post-rock movement apply here. This EP is akin more to a sonic experience than simply a collection of songs. It literally kicks off with a bang (the first song is named “…Kablooie”), but what comes after can only be described as a period of trance-inducing musical relaxation. The music is extremely raw and unpolished, but not in the pejorative sense. Instead, it makes for a remarkably sincere emotional connection between man and music. This is not just music for the ears, but music for the soul. Completely indescribable, but absolutely staggering.

“After Everything, More Than Anything,” as the first step along this journey, sets the tone for the rest of the experience, and it certainly does not disappoint. The song starts small, with just a single guitar and bass. The layers slowly begin to build upon each other in that familiar, post-rock way, and we reach the climax when the distorted guitar comes in to fill up the sound field. With four guitarists and a drummer, the orchestrations created by this five-piece band are texturally rich, and provide tremendous depth for the listening experience.

As I mentioned earlier, perhaps one of the biggest drawbacks with this style of music is that it’s hard to create something that is memorable. There certainly aren’t any catchy hooks or choruses, or anything of the sort (nor should there be). Loraine has managed to solve this dilemma, however. As a matter of fact, their music is practically made up of a constant flow of brilliantly melodic sections. These sections are similar enough to keep the musical atmosphere consistent and to allow for seamless transitioning, but each one is a distinct segment that builds upon the last. Another way to describe it would be to say that each section is unique and adds its own flavor, but is also dependent upon the previous section, and a prerequisite for the following one. This makes An Autumn Evening into a brilliantly fluid record.

As we celebrate what we’re thankful for this holiday season, let us remember the importance of music in our lives. Without it, the world would surely be a much drearier place. Loraine’s music is a prime example of how liberating this form of creative expression can be. You can find their album for sale on their website, so please consider supporting the artist and, by extension, the constantly evolving music scene. Man’s passion for the art of making music is truly liberating, and it plays a huge part in establishing each of our own identities, both as music makers and as music lovers. And with those final thoughts, I will leave you to enjoy the holidays, and I wish all of you a very happy Thanksgiving! - Audio Intimacy

I’ve been procrastinating a lot lately and that’s never good. There’s a lot to get done, including finding great albums within my email inbox, like this one here. After listening through this album a few times, I thought it’d be the perfect draw to start a Monday. All I need now is a warm cup of tea to sooth my throat. My ears have already been soothed for the past 20minutes worth of this EP.

The band Loraine is a new “instrumental post rock band” from Atlanta with a new EP to their credit. It’s their first EP they’ve released actually. Which makes me think, what would the music scene be if it weren’t for all of these music loving artists to be releasing all kinds of goodies for the public to swallow, new genres being created by the minute, new connections being made? It makes you think.

If you could bottle up the season of Autumn, this is what it would sound like. Listen to this album from start to finish. It’s totally worth your time… - The Record Stack