This Bright Apocalypse

Do You Feel At Home? #06

This Bright Apocalypse

This post has been overdue for a while now, and I apologize for the radio silence.

    This Bright Apocalypse was an emo/post-hardcore band from Madison, Wisconsin that existed from the late 90s to the late 00s. Members shifted over time, and those members were: Luke Bassuener, Johnny Maloney, and Chris Sasman. Other members included: Adam Cargin, Justin Bartlett, Dan Freeman, Adam Betz, Justin Mitchell, Brandon Wynaught, and Nick Kruse. The other members listed either rotated in and out, assisted during performances, or played on one of the bands releases. This list was gathered via the bands old MySpace page, which you can look at here.

    Anyway. This Bright Apocalypse was a band that, during their respectively long run as a band, never quite got the recognition they most definitely deserved. The band started out playing some amazing albeit by the numbers emo/post-hardcore, but very quickly blossomed into one of the most creative and versatile beasts in the genre. Their influences are scrupulously listed, as well as diverse: from Sinead O'Connor (rest her soul), Bob Dylan and Tom Petty, to Faraquet and- of course, Fugazi. Along with those said artists, the band takes African influence/instrumentation, and incorporates it wonderfully into their music.

    Most of their material was self-released, and as was common back then, they did some stuff through CDBaby. Their discography, from all I've been able to gather, is relatively small. During their time they put out three full-lengths, and a singular CDr EP. They also had a couple of contributions to compilations scattered about as well. The bands sound is one that rapidly blossomed, quickly shedding its skin and transforming into something sharp, and bursting at the seams with creativity. From their infancy back in 1998, up to the bands last days together, they consistently proved that they were a remarkable creative force, and one that preferred to keep moving.

    Their first release, titled "A Seven Day Hope Prescription", was released on Tammeny (Hall) back in 1999. *Tammeny Hall was a one-off label for A Seven Day Hope Prescription, and the name is a bastardization of "Tammany Hall", the New York political machine once run by William M. “Boss” Tweed. This is a nod to one of Luke's earlier bands, called Schwa (the upside-down e) and later Tweed Ring, which didn't release any recordings.* The CDr is practically impossible to track down, as I doubt many were made. Recently, the album has finally been able to be heard in its entirety, thanks to GearStreetRecords on Youtube! (He has also provided scans of it on Discogs!) What this disc shows is a band finding their footing, but one whose chops are tight. The band shows that they still have space to grow, and expand their sound, as later their influences and songwriting become further honed. As their first outing, it holds up, and that previously mentioned space for them to grow is close to being harnessed, all in just 9 tracks.

A Seven Day Hope Prescription

1. Something Tangible
2. Bringer Of Light
3. Like Water
4. To Fit The Crime
5. Pockets Of Silver... Oceans Of Grey
6. Seems I'm Still
7. Play The Only
8. Very Far
9. Project Love-All

* Marks quixotictic's info he provided

    What I believe proceeded their first full-length is the "Comfort Is Luck" EP. It contains a few tracks that would later be featured on their subsequent outing, as well as tracks that were previously released. The tracks that would later go on to other releases, namely "The Ballad Of West Virginia", and "Tonight We Are The Judges" are displayed here in their developmental stages. It shows the band quickly honing in on that sound they would soon master, and it's quite interesting to hear them in this light.

Comfort Is Luck

1. The Ballad Of West Virginia
2. Project: Love-All
3. Tonight We Are The Judges
4. Bringer Of Light
5. Something Tangible

Massive thanks to quixotictic again for helping with this!

    Their next release, titled "Motion And Rest", is undeniably one of the most underrated and ignored masterpieces of not just it's time, but the genre altogether. Released in the spring of 2003, and boasting incredible blends of post-rock, post-hardcore, and dashes of African instrumentation, this record stands alone as its own beast. The songwriting across this disc is absolutely fantastic, and somewhat poetic at times. Seriously, the narrative aspect of the lyrics is incredibly well done, as well as performed. The instrumentation on here is without a doubt some of the best I've heard, with the bands intricate percussion blending the traditional kit, with the awesome accompaniment of Luke's bongos being a massive highlight. The guitar and bass work on this is also simply spectacular, with their seamless and fine tuned playing working effortlessly off of each other. Of course, one thing I can't leave out as well, is the vocal performances. There are times when, in situations like these, the vox can be lacking, however that is not the case here. They manage to deliver incredible depth without trying to overachieve, as well as add incredible dynamics to a record that is already such a dynamic monster on its own. What these boys managed to pull off here is nothing short of extraordinary, but they sadly never got the praise they wholly deserved. It's a travesty, really, as a record like this is something that one might think ought to be considered a classic- because it is. This record is without question one of if not the best out of 2003, up there with Hot Cross' "Cryonics". Thankfully, it hasn't been lost to the bowels of the internet, and is readily available on streaming services, as well as Youtube. Therefore, I will not provide a rip of it. (Linked below will be to its playlist on Youtube) If you have not listened to it, please do yourself a favor. Even if you don't like it, it's certainly still worth listening to!

Motion And Rest

1. Of Snakes And Setups
2. On Becoming
3. Laughing At The Aspirins
4. The Approach
5. A Carrot On A Fishing Pole
6. The Ballad Of West Virginia
7. Girl King
8. Memorizing Populations
9. Tonight We Are The Judges
10. And Trance, End

    Their next, and final release, titled "Asumaya", would be released in 2008. While it was released on CD, again through CDBaby, nothing much is known of this record. Now, if you haven't noticed, this was quite a large gap between releases. The reasons for that aren't anything strange however; Luke Bassuener had joined the Peace Corps as a volunteer in Ghana, so they put TBA on hold until he returned. During his extended time there, one can only assume he took in the culture, as well as the music. What would result from those experiences is the band stepping away from their roots in post-hardcore, and fully embracing their aforementioned African influences. Crafted in Ghana, "Asumaya" stands alone in the bands discography as a wholly unique, but well executed blend of world, and post-rock music. The use of bongos, mbira, and other various instruments takes center stage here, and includes guest appearances from other African musicians, those being the Saka Boys, and Aluta. As a whole, this record is an experience that, while foreign to me, is still one I thoroughly enjoyed. (Though I'm not picky) The band accomplished an amazing transition into this style of music, backed with their chops they've gained over the years. Their skill as musicians at this point in time bode well for such a drastic change in their sound, and created what is certainly one of the more unique off-shoots in this genre, if you get what I mean. Along with the rest of their discography, this record never really got any attention or praise outside its original release, which is a shame. I guess that's just par for the course though, as many bands around this time got this treatment unfortunately. Either way, if you'd like to listen to it, it's available via streaming and Youtube. (I will link the album on Spotify below) I certainly recommend it if you're looking to try something different!

Asumaya

1. An Elephant, A Tree
2. Unless Tomorrow
3. Guilt By Location (feat. Saka Boys)
4. Messing With The Batteries
5. Sweat And Bare Feet
6. Able
7. Slogans For A Savannah
8. On Your Side
9. All Throats
10. Sheep In Wolf Clothes (feat. Aluta)
11. Sankara

    That is where the story of this band ends, however, Luke would go on to start a solo project, aptly named Asumaya. The material he's putting out over there is quite unique, and wholly fantastic! Seriously, I recommend checking it out, again, especially if you're looking for something different! Another project members of TBA were involved in was The French New Wave. They we're another awesome indie/emo/math-rock outfit during the early 2000's, and you can check out both projects via the Bandcamp links embedded!

 
I believe a compilation track or two isn't online anywhere, and there's a few things off their MySpace that I can't find. I will continue to update this post as I learn more.