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#instrumental

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Self-Titled Summer | Animals As Leaders (2009, US)

Next in our new Self-Titled Summer series is number 472 on The List, submitted by Chip_Unicorn. This is the debut album from the Washington D.C.-based band when it was still the solo project of guitarist Tosin Abasi. As Chip_Unicorn noted when sending in this submission, this instrumental prog metal album is full of complex but fun songs that play hard with time signatures and very fast guitar work.

Want to read more? See the full spotlight on the Fediverse at @1001otheralbums.com or on the blog: 1001otheralbums.com/2025/06/15

Want to skip straight to the music? Here's the Bandcamp: animalsasleaders.bandcamp.com/

Happy listening!

1001 Other Albums · Self-Titled Summer | Animals As Leaders (2009, US)
More from 1001 Other Albums

Self-Titled Summer | Animals As Leaders (2009, US)

Next in our Self-Titled Summer series is number 472 on The List, submitted by Chip_Unicorn. Here’s a quick rundown:

  • Point(s) of origin: Founded in 2007 by the brilliant guitarist Tosin Abasi (formerly of Reflux), this debut album captures the Washington D.C.-based band when it was still a solo project. Abasi chose the name based on the novel Ishmael by Daniel Quinn.
  • Tasting notes: Instrumental prog metal, math/prog rock, djent, sometimes jazzy, bits of electronica
  • Standout track: This is sort of one of those albums where it’s sort of all or nothing – if you like one you’ll like all.
  • Where are they now?: The band is currently a trio, with Javier Reyes and Matt Garstka. They will be touring Australia in September playing their 3rd album, The Joy of Motion, in its entirety in celebration of that album’s 10th anniversary. We also have their most recent release, Parrhesia, on The List, so we’ll be visiting their work again in the future! Abasi also founded the jazz rock supergroup T.R.A.M. with Reyes (alongside former Mars Volta member Adrián Terrazas-González and former Suicidal Tendencies member Eric Moore), and Garstka has also worked on Reyes’ prog metal side project, Mestis.
  • Websites: Band website, Bandcamp, Wikipedia

Happy listening!

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Friday the Thirteenth! What better date to release a new piece of music, right?

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‘Going new places, changing directions, arriving at a crossroads, entering the unknown — for many, those are moments of strong and ambivalent feelings. Curiosity, captivation, and anticipation, intertwined with hesitation, caution, sometimes even anxiety or fear; lots of conflicting, contradictory emotions flood the mind. But there’s really only one thing we can do: go ahead.

‘With its interchanging 4/4 and 7/8 time signature, “Travelling to Terra Incognita” evokes a stumbling, fumbling sensation. Rarely heard instruments like the udu (an earthen vase-shaped hand drum with a small mouth at the top and a larger circular opening at the side), the Indian harmonium, and the mbira (or ikembe, or most commonly, kalimba) lend a sense of consolation and warmth, as do the voices of travelling whales in French Polynesian waters and of a nightingale and other birds in western Finland.’

mirlo.space/babumenos/release/

‘You heard it first on @mirlo⁠’ 😎