To Destroy a City's self-titled debut is a mixture of post-rock and ambiance of the kind. Atmospheric synths, soaring guitars, and live/electronic drum combos are layered together to build a coherent album that is hard to stop once you put it on. Instantly recalls mainstays of the post-rock genre, such as This Will Destroy You and Maserati. All instrumental tracks, with spoken word in track 3. FCC Clean.


01. (2:55) * Metaphor: Piano and soft synth patches in a slow track to open the album. Very much in the vein of Sigur Ros.
02. (6:14) Narcotic Sea: Electronic drum machine and synth transitions suddenly to live sounds, with light keys providing the unifying melody.
03. (5:33) * Ilium: Opens with a haunting spoken performance of T.S. Eliot's "The Hollow Men", although it seems out of place, as the track itself is upbeat and hopeful. Slow fade out, with about 8 seconds of silence at the end.
04. (6:27) Philosophy of a Knife Fight: Layered guitars and keyboards featured on this reverb-soaked ambient track.
05. (6:24) Before the Outside's Gone: Moody and atmospheric, the last minute of the song slowly fades into oblivion.
06. (2:39) * The Marvels of Modern Civilization: Mostly electronic instrumentation, feels almost like techno. Reminds me of Maserati's music.
07. (7:02) * Goodbye, Dear Friend: What starts as a synth-driven stargaze changes abrubtly halfway through into a post-rock elegy overlayed with a musical box melody.
08. (4:00) March: Very faint synth for the first minute. Atmospheric.