The 7″ format gets some love in the form of a stellar four-song EP by one of post-rock’s finest. A must for fans and a great point of entry for the curious.
Rating: 
Giants – 7″ EP
The Mylene Sheath
Giants are among the many and the finest post-rock bands on The Mylene Sheath. Their recorded output thus far has been nothing short of stellar and this new 7″ EP continues that tradition. Every available square inch of this single is packed with four songs (two per side).
Giants play multilayered instrumental post-rock and are definitely in the upper echelon of the genre. Their songs are mostly mid-tempo affairs with layered, melodic guitar lines that are intricate as well as peaceful. The songs are held together by a super-tight rhythm section and the drums sound is huge. The guitar leads are really interesting and are the driving force of each song and many of them are downright hypnotic. This hypnotism becomes the hook to the song that sucks you in while additional layers of sound slowly weave in. They don’t rely on big cascading riffs so much and instead just go for the catchy and complex soundscapes. These four songs flow together nicely and have a common feel to them that makes it sound like a complete package, not just four random songs.
This 7″ comes in a full color pocket sleeve that opens on the right side. the record comes on colored vinyl (in this case it is gold and limited to 300, there was also another more limited color). The mastering job was really good on this little gem and as previously mentioned the drums especially sound fantastic. It is another quality package from top to bottom from this label and it is nice to see them give some love to the 7″ format which doesn’t get nearly the attention that it did in the 80’s and 90’s.
This EP is a must for Giants fans and for those who aren’t familiar there isn’t a better or more affordable cost of entry to check out this great band. Hopefully the label will continue to do occasional 7″s as it is a format that still deserves love and in today’s economy it is even nicer to see some affordable vinyl out there for music fans.
