50 Bands in 50 Days – Day 22: Below Blackstar

Welcome back to 50 Bands in 50 Days for the first day of December, our annual showcase of some of the best musicians coming from the northleft, presented by GigTown. Today we’re getting brooding and tear-jerking with one of the most somber bands from our neck of the woods, Below Blackstar.

Hailing from Seattle, Below Blackstar is a rock band with an aesthetic darker than drip coffee. From the darkest depths of goth rock to the most uplifting of second-wave post-rock, Below Blackstar has decided on a sound that’s infectiously gloomy, and they show no signs of taking Zoloft anytime soon.

Below Blackstar’s slow-paced, passionate rock music has earned them a decided local following, which landed their album Under a Concrete Sky a third place spot in our 2014 Reader’s Poll for album of the year. Listening to their music, it’s easy to see why. The band masterfully crosses the worlds of post-rock, gothic rock, and classic progressive rock in such a way where fans of one style that may not like the other influences will find a lot to like about them.

If you like your rock music to reflect the depressing, chaotic misery of a grey, meaningless existence, Below Blackstar is for you.

For Fans of: Slint, The Cure, Pink Floyd

You can follow the band on Facebook, purchase their music via their Bandcamp page, and sample their art below.