Pan

I don’t know if I’ve ever seen cover artwork so aptly suited for an album’s vibe than that of Pan‘s new album These Are the Things I Love and I Want to Share Them With You. These South Carolina dudes have made it known that the one goal that they have for their music is to uplift. After listening to the album several times over the past two weeks I can honestly say that, for me, they’ve succeeded.

Formed in 2010, the band has built a post-rock foundation for themselves drawing on bands like Russian Circles and Pelican, but they amp up the good-time vibes by also looking to Fang Island for inspiration. Even though it is easy to spot what’s being worn on their collective sleeve, it should be noted that Pan is more than just a collection of influences. Sure there are dense walls of noise and crushing guitars with soaring melodies, but the band’s most identifiable attribute remains the utter joy that radiates off of their music. It might seem bit trite or corny to say so, but once you listen to tracks like “Joe Frazier” or “John from New York” you’ll realize just what these guys are going for. - Portals

It’s hard to pull off post-rock, post-Explosions In The Sky. The crescendo-to-nowhere builds and stunted cinematics of lesser acts so dilute the pack, it’s hard to get excited about a new band. But Pan set out to upend that expectation from the beginning. Its first EP was called, adamantly, Post-Rock Is Not Dead. The band’s first full-length makes a strong effort to prove it, too. With most songs capped under the four-minute mark, TATTILAIWTSTWY (unwieldy, even as an acronym) injects some much needed vitality into the instro-rock field. Sharp riffs informed by indie rock, post-hardcore and classic metal counter the big, foggy builds to make something much more lively than incidental volume ever could. - Paste Magazine

South Carolina's very own Pan is often mentioned in the same breath as Post-Rock juggernauts, Explosions in the Sky or Godspeed You! Black Emperor. But if one were to make a more accurate assessment of this instrumental powerhouse, it would be to dub them innovators of Post-Post Rock. - Fr. Jones