In 2005, as a part of Temporary Residence's Travels in Constants series, Explosions in the Sky released The Rescue, an eight-song "mini LP" (their words) that condensed the band's normally epic sound into smaller, bite-sized nuggets. Several months later, Mogwai released Mr. Beast, their fifth album, and surprised fans when no song crossed the six-minute mark. This, from a genre where anything under eight minutes feels short. These albums show that tension can exist within the confines of each riff and melody, not just the song as a whole. Continuing this trend, San Marcos, Texas natives This Will Destroy You's debut LP Young Mountain proves that when the mood is there, it doesn't need 15 minutes per song to develop.
Much like Explosions in the Sky and Mono, This Will Destroy You use their instruments expertly to create a brooding anxiety that threatens to erupt at any moment. They often build in traditional instro-post-rock fashion, starting calm before growing to a dense wall of guitars and cymbals, but they never really feel bound by that formula. The opening track, "Quiet", is more about repetition than evolution, as once the instruments kick in early in the song, they don't spend much time further developing the melody. That's not a bad thing, though, because the atmosphere is there, hidden beneath the swirling guitar noise.
But mostly this is an exercise in controlled arrangements. The band employs its fair share of effects, especially delay and reverb, but rarely does the noise spiral out of control. "I Believe in Your Victory" bucks this trend, exhuding a more triumphant and upbeat spirit. All of the foreboding elements are still there, but a slight shift in the melody makes all the difference. "Grandfather Clock" also sets itself apart, this time with a skittering electronic beat that flutters behind the guitars and keys up front. These two tracks offer a brief respite from the bulk of the album, which is dark and intense.
Unfortunately, the disc ends far too abruptly. At a scant 36 minutes, this feels more like an EP than an LP. Given that Magic Bullet's release is actually a reissue of what the band self-released last year, I can't help but wonder if another song or two wouldn't have strengthened it. After all, if you're going to call your band This Will Destroy You, you damn well better. As it is, I feel like they've only delivered the initial blows.
