Back in March, I mentioned that New England-based post-rock band, Apse, would be re-releasing their 2006 gem, Spirit, on ATP Recordings later this year and had plans to tour the UK. Fast forward to three months later and the band has played ATP vs. Pitchfork, finished their tour, and has three U.S. dates scheduled. Lucky for us, one of those dates is for the stacked ATP New York Festival on September 20th – a thin layer of icing on an already sweet, sweet cake.

I’m not usually into these “fan generated” videos, and to be honest, they sometimes downright creep me out. However, this video done by Mr. Alvaro for Apse’s “The Crowned” off of the soon to be re-released Spirit (July 7th) is kind of badass. It has an antiwar theme running through it as two tribes of shirtless dudes meet in a woodland clearing to do battle a la Braveheart, only instead of using hatchets and swords, they employ pillows. Hmmm…not liking the way this is sounding, but trust me, it’s totally safe for work.

Spirit is out on Monday. Listen to unreleased and remixed Apse tracks on their Muxtape. Happy 4th.

[MP3]: Apse  ”The Crowned”
Spirit, ATP Recordings; 2008

Avante-garde post-rock outfit Apse are gearing up for a busy 2008. The last time we checked in with the Cape Cod, MA six-piece was in 2006 on the heels of their elegant LP Spirit. Originally released on Spanish imprint Acuarela Discos, the record will be re-released in May this year (according to the band “60 days from March 5th”) via ATP Recordings.

In addition to the re-release of Spirit, the band will also be dropping a 45-minute EP titled Eras initially in a beautifully packaged vinyl-only format in April and eventually in CD/digital format by mid-summer. The extended EP “will feature new material, covering a range of different kinds of songwriting and experimentation. It has musical ties to Spirit, but is the most progressive, experimental and exploratory record the band as made to date.”

Following the EP, the sextet plans to unleash a brand new full-length in the autumn which is currently in the works with over 30 new tracks. Apse won’t just be busy in the studio though, they have lined up an aggressive European tour that kicks off on April 24th and continues well into May, including a stop at All Tomorrow’s Parties. Here’s to hoping for some U.S. dates (outside of New England would be nice).

The tracklisting for the EP along with some mp3′s to tie you over are below, including the grinding “Up In The Eaves” from the Eras EP.

[MP3]: Apse  ”Keep”
Apse, Acuarela Discos; 2005
[MP3]: Apse  ”Shade of the Moor”
Spirit, Acuarela Discos; 2006
[MP3]: Apse  ”Up in the Eaves”
Eras EP, Equation Records/Acuarela Discos/ATP; 2008

Eras Tracklisting:
Side A
01. “Cyd”
02. “Ark”
03. “Up In The Eaves”
04. “Gloom”
05. “The Letter”

Side B
01. “Deathless”
02. “Wishlist”
03. “The Tipping”
04. “Black Stars”
05. “Salt Of The Earth”