Hi all, so between finishing my end of year write up and finally completing my top 50 albums of all time list, I decided to take January off. It was a pretty quiet month anyway, so there wasn’t much to write about. But to make up for it, this post will have music from December, January and February. If you are interested in that 50 top albums list, you can find that list on the right hand side of the blog home page.
I’d also like to say thanks if you read my end of year write up. That got numbers that I’ve never seen before and it was incredible to see. Thanks again.
However, going into year 6 of The Ways of Exile, I’m not sure if this blog will continue. It takes up a lot of my time and I’m not sure I have the dedication to keep going. I wasn’t going to bother writing this month’s post, but there’s too much good music that needs to be heard. So here’s a rather abridged edition of the blog, as the reviews will be a lot shorter than usual.
TWoE now uses Songlink. Clicking this link below a review will bring you to a linktree that provides a link to the album in question, on most streaming platforms. It does not include Qobuz, which is really annoying.
But enough preamble, more music.
𝗘𝗰𝗵𝗼 𝗦𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗘𝗰𝗵𝗼
Aithaleia
Post Rock
Aithaleia is a post rock album with a dash of math rock. While that may not sound that exciting, Echo Says Echo’s grasp of dynamics are. Not the tired old grunge quiet – loud – quiet trope, but pace. This isn’t an album of (just) gently plucked strings, this is a record that has more vitality than most other post rock acts. There’s probably loads of weird time signatures going on here, but that’s for another blog to delve into, TWoE is just about the tunes and Aithaleia has buckets of them.
The Landing is a euphoric sweep of bright guitars, while Volta Celeste morphs into something that sounds more indie rock than post rock. It’s this ability to mix things up that makes ESE stand out.
𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗢𝗳 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗲
Primary
Goth
Nothing triggers synesthesia quite like goth music. From the first reverb drenched guitar notes and drum machine rattle, this music conjures up images of blinding white lights and smoke machine fog banks.
The opening track, Faces, wields a slow motion, clanking drum machine, icy synths and Seventeen Seconds era guitar with vocals that are influenced by Roz Williams.
I’m sure you can hear exactly what this sounds like in your head, even before you press play. And it sounds as good as you’d hope.
The album is filled with gems. Terror is the kind of song that should fill goth club dance floors, whereas Lights is an atmospheric, instrumental banger. I’m pretty sure this is going to be catnip to the big boots and hair spray crowd as this is one of the best bits of trad goth to be featured on this blog in a long time.
L.O.E
Chiaroscuro
Post rock
Chiaroscuro is the dramatic contrast between light and shadow in art, the band are certainly taking a grand (if slightly pretentious) swing when naming their album. But it’s a feeling that they convey well across the album, as its musical light and shade live up to the rather dramatic title.
Opening your album with a track called I Was Not Magnificent, is certainly one way of setting the tone, but this album is more uplifting than that title may suggest. Need Your Help With This is a post rock anthem in waiting and should create a cathartic singalong at their live shows.
However, the album highlight, Monsters & Miracles, samples Tom Waits reading a Charles Bukowski poem. In a genre where the samples get repetitive, this kind of thing is very welcome. “The gods wait to delight in you” is such an amazing line, and that mixed with some meaty riffage makes the song some world class post rock.
Kæry Ann
Moonstone
Alt rock
There is a real musical cliche in alt rock at the moment, where pretty much any band trying to meld shoegaze and alt rock end up sounding like Deftones. Now, this isn’t a terrible thing, but it is getting a little old. Kæry Ann are one of the few bands who have managed to find their own sound in these influences.
The lead track, Puritatem Tuam Interiorem Serva, opens with a wall of fuzz, but this dials back to allow the multitracked vocals to glide through the distortion. The song is sung in Latin, which adds an otherworldly atmosphere to the proceedings, making this feel more like a hymn than a rock song.
The vocals on the album switch between Latin and English, which adds another texture to the record, but it’s not just that which makes this album stand out. The vocals on songs like The Road are more reminiscent of Ladytron than your usual guitar band, with vocalist Erika Azzini’s voice much lighter and sweeter than most rock acts.
If this album aims to be a ritual, what the band have created is alchemy; the perfect fusion of doomgaze / indie / shoegaze and they spin their sound into musical gold. This may just be the first great album of 2026.
Domains
FarFarOut
Electronica / post rock
London duo Domains, continue their voyage of melding electronica with post rock.
This single sees the pair lean further into the dance side of their sound with the opening track, Farfarout, which is a straight up dance number. Aalthough the shimmering guitar line keeps a little of that indie feel to it.
The second track has a great bass led groove to it, with what I think is a dulcimer really making the track stand out.
It’s still early in Domains’ career but they’re releasing really accomplished music. Hopefully these releases are building to what should be a great debut album.
De l’Abîme Naît l’Aube
Rituel : Initiation
Post metal / Melodic black metal
There’s something really satisfying about watching a band throw everything at the wall to see what sticks. De l’Abîme Naît l’Aube have taken a grab styles and melding a little folk, post rock / metal, melodic black metal, a little dash of throat singing and have come up with a brilliant sound.
Calling your band “From the Abyss rises the Dawn” (They’re Swiss) really sets the band’s stall out, giving you a good idea about just how intense this is going to be, but also suggests hope in a way most metal bands would never dream of.
And while there are a lot of different styles on the album, they’re seamlessly meshed, as De l’Abîme understand how to use these sometimes disparate sounds and make it appear effortless. The light and the beauty is contrasted with the band’s heavier side, without ever becoming overpowering. In fact, this is a surprisingly accessible album, as the band have a knack for catchy melodies and know their way around hooks.
However, If you don’t like harsh vocals, this probably isn’t the album for you. If you are curious to experiment with heavier sounds, this is a truly wonderful record to check out. If you already like the heavier side of things? Then just dive in.
This feels like the second great album of the year.
Now three albums I’ve discovered because of Where the Post Rock Dwells. Their two part, best of 2025, gave me so much new music to try out. My three favourites are:
All IS VIOLENT
Monolith of Becoming
Post rock
I’m pretty sure their name is an God is an Astronaut reference, and to be honest, you can hear GiAA’s influence pretty clearly in the music. This EP is powerful stuff though, heavy on atmosphere and huge sounding drums. It’s only four tracks, but it’s more than enough to make any post rock fan very happy.
These next two albums honestly would have been in the running for my top ten albums of the year and are exceptional records.
Last Leaf Down
Weight Of Silence
Alt rock
Weight is an indie rock album, but borrows heavily from shoegaze and post rock. While these are not the most unusual genres to blend, this does give LLF a really rich, warm sound that wraps the listener up in its atmosphere from the first notes.
And what first notes! The opening track, Silence, sounds like a song I’ve known all my life, and I can’t place why it’s so familiar. It’s just a fantastic song with one of the most perfect vocals I’ve heard in a long, long time.
This is such a great album, easily one of the best alt rock albums I’ve heard in years. A lot more people need to hear it.
Distance
so as not to forget
Post metal
New Zealand’s Distance shows that there is great heavy music coming from all over the globe.
so as not to forget (Not a typo, Distance are a lower case type of band) is an album that is unafraid to take chances. While technically, this is a post metal album, there’s far more going on here. gone in an instant of becoming, is a shoegaze song with more in common with acts like Nothing than the epic post metal of tracks like artificial scarcity, with the vocals in particular, helping to make the track stand out more.
The closer …..and salt the earth behind you is a great example of shifting styles in a song. It starts with the usual moody riffs but then adds some smoky jazz, with sax, and then detonates some blastbeats to assault you on the way out the album. It’s harsh, but what a way to finish the record.
This is an incredible album that’s been on heavy rotation since it was discovered. It’s a fantastic album, full of interesting twists and turns. This is some world class heavy music.
And that is all for this month. Thanks for reading.
The ways of exile 