San Marco, Texas band This Will Destroy You play big dramatic instrumental "post-rock" that sounds very similar to their state-mates, Explosions in the Sky. Their theatrical songs have the post-rock formula pretty much down: a clean, gentle strum of a guitar in the beginning of the song, which gradually picks up pace and becomes more aggressive strumming, which turns into feedback, which finally turns into EMOTION. That's post-rock. You know what we mean.

And, sure, even though we've all heard this sound before (Mogwai. Early Maserati. Saxon Shore. Mono. Tristeza. And on and on and on...), I'm still a sucker for it and probably always will be. This is inspirational music that inspires me in spite of myself. I know when this band's guitars go for that shimmering high note that This Will Destroy You wants me to feel the same pain and joy and nostalgia that they do. And you know, even though I know all this, it still works. Damn these guys.

This Will Destroy You opens for Unwed Sailor, at Pianos, on Saturday, December 8th.