At their very first live performance, it's not unbelievable that Chicago band Rocket Miner was mistaken by an attendee for Russian Circles, another bombastic instrumental outfit from the area. Both bands deliver devastating distortion and ear-ringing quakes of sound in a genre that didn't have many heavyweights as of 20 years ago. But while Russian Circles take darker turns and incorporate metal-esque riffing, Rocket Miner's songs tend to blossom in slow-motion, like flowers blooming, giving plenty of time to allow the sweeping grandeur to earn its reward.

Read more about Rocket Miner on Last.fm.