Review Summary: The brooding North Carolinian's return to deliver us another gloomy affair.
To this day We Are Lonely Animals still stands out to me as one of the best post-rock albums of modern times. It is a deep, heartfelt record that stitches together powerful song dynamics and musicianship with a independent character and a bleeding heart to boot. The songs were beautifully executed and seamlessly transitioned into the next melancholy chapter without ever losing it's momentum or becoming bland. In short, We Are Lonely Animals is a modern masterpiece. Don't believe me? Just listen to the ten minute epic The Light Narrows and tell me I'm wrong. This album is a crowning achievement for the upstart North Carolina based Braveyoung. An achievement that would be damn near impossible to top or even match. Since discovering them locally in Asheville way back in early 2011 I've kept close tabs on the band, hoping that one day they would release something new.
One year later Braveyoung would release something new. An EP that went by the title Will The Dust Praise You. It follows in the same emotionally jarring, cinematic vein of We Are Lonely Animals but instead of replicating themselves musically with another post-rock/metal hybrid Braveyoung undertook a more minimalist, modern classical influenced route. The dynamics became softer, the piano became the music's driving force and the song structures became more spacious. Tremolo picking was minimized but it was not cast out negatively. The buildups and crescendos too were rendered obsolete but it matters little because Braveyoung excels at creating tense, mournful music regardless of what genre they play. And that ability to effortlessly cross genres and adapt to new surroundings is why they are such great musicians. I'm fully confident that they can be prolific at whatever musical direction they decide to experiment with next.
Will The Dust Praise You is a worthy successor to the stellar We Are Lonely Animals and a logical musical progression for Braveyoung's sound. Although short, coming in at exactly twenty minutes, Will The Dust Praise You is an astonishing release that should continue to garner attention from music enthusiasts all over. Fans of ambient, post-rock, classical, darkwave or really just instrumental music in general should love this. I recommend it.
