The Calm Blue Sea's Debut LP Due August 2 On Modern Outsider Records

An album filled with towering instrumental epics ranging from the beautiful to the brutal and from the majestic to the melancholy, The Calm Blue Sea's eponymous debut full-length will be released by Modern Outsider Records on August 2, 2011. Originally self-released by the Austin-based band in 2008, the forthcoming reissue has been remastered and will feature two unreleased bonus tracks, finally receiving the wide release it has long deserved. In addition to being available digitally and on CD it will be pressed on 12-inch vinyl, which will also include a download code for the aforementioned exclusive songs, "Fire" and "Man of Dangerous Dreams."

Back with more vigor and purpose than ever before, this album signifies the band's exciting return to the fertile post-rock landscape. Formed in late 2007, the Austinites' return comes after an 18 month hiatus that saw the musicians spread across the country, pursuing other musical endeavors and generally moving on with their lives. After self-releasing their debut in 2008, crisscrossing the US on tour twice, writing, recording and performing an original film score, and shipping their record to fans across the globe, relationships in the band started to dissolve by 2009. As the stress of maintaining such a high level of activity without any assistance from a label competed with family obligations, careers and personal relationships, it ultimately resulted in the members going their separate ways. However, despite their best efforts to put the band behind them and move on, the gravitational pull of being apart for a year and half was too strong for remaining members guitarist and sometimes vocalist Chris Patin, bassist Kyle Robarge and drummer Stephen Bidwell. Following Patin's return to Austin from Brooklyn, the trio reunited late last year, joined by newcomer Taylor Wilkins on guitar.

With song structures measured in minutes rather than measures, The Calm Blue Sea's lushly textured sound is a study in contrast; at once gorgeous and violent, it is rife with both chaos and serenity. Choosing to let their instruments speak for them, much like fellow instrumentalists Explosions in the Sky, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Mogwai, the album's only singing is a hazy few lines from Patin howled in the first third of the eight minute epic "Literal." As his cries of "You were so literal" come to a close, the guitars quiet down before drums and piano return to the mix, eventually colliding into a thrashing squall of guitar noise. NPR was so compelled by the pummeling rocker that they chose it as their "Song of the Day" this past March 18. "At nearly eight minutes, 'Literal' moves through so many phases and changes, and achieves such elegance and power in the process, that it's actually a shame to hear it end," they exclaimed.

Recorded at Austin's Cacophony Recorders with acclaimed engineer Erik Wofford (The Black Angels, Explosions in the Sky), the album builds and swells like a raging ocean. Ebbing and flowing from delicate lows to exhilarating highs, the songs each move through several movements, conjuring a spectrum of emotions in the process. "We Happy Few" begins with thick, sludgy guitars before transitioning into a plaintive piano piece and then erupting into chaotic fuzz and crashing drums. By the time the song comes to a halt, the listener has been put through the wringer and experienced more, both musically and emotionally, in 486 seconds than some bands display in an entire album. As the compositions gracefully slide into each other, it's evident that this an album in the truest sense, where the whole is greater than the sum of its individual parts.

Perhaps not surprisingly, these grand, panoramic rock songs are even more moving in a live setting. To see these epics slowly unfold in front of you is a powerful experience and one that has earned The Calm Blue Sea a passionate following. The band's return to the stage at Modern Outsider's 2011 SXSW Official Showcase, garnered praise and coverage on Esquire.com and reinforced the band's decision to reunite. A US tour is currently in the works surrounding the album's release.

As the guys eagerly await the LP's arrival, they are hard at work on a video for "Literal." They have teamed up with producer Cliff Wildman of Pitch Productions and animator/director Paul Beck of the acclaimed films "Waking Life" and "A Scanner Darkly" to create visuals that will match the intensity and beauty of their music.

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