Do Make Say Think
You, You’re History in Rust
Constellation
The last few post-rock releases to cross my review pile have been predominantly mellow affairs, where the bands choose to act as mood enablers for low-key moments. In this light, Do Make Say Think’s newest album comes as a blast of kinetic energy, reminding me that the genre is post-_rock_ after all.
You, You’re History in Rust begins with “Bound to Be That Way,” a track that unfurls slowly with ringing soft-edged chords before hitting it’s stride with thunderous, frenetic drumming and slippery guitar riffs that cascade in all directions like rain rolling down a windowpane. At seven minutes, the group squeezes fiery bursts in between slow-motion pockets of silence building tension and release completely organically.
“A With Living” sees this growth continue with guest vocals quietly leading the music in a slow coalescence into an Arcade Fire-esque number that flickers with campfire-light intensity. The steady bloom of pleading choir voices cuts through the insistent guitar strums and eventually gives way to a pastoral horn section dripping with a spring night’s dew. “The Universe!” is relentlessly hard-charging and saturated with distorted guitars and a driving rhythm section pounding away at anything remotely sounding like a melody. The ebb and flow between excited and relaxed on this album is something of a marvel. The joyous cacophony of the more unhinged moments perfectly compliment the restrained intimacy of when the band pulls back –as on the rural treatment “A Tender History in Rust” gets through acoustic guitar, melodica and whistling– it’s like a testament to impulsive youth and heady optimism and the drunk summer dusks and early morning hangovers to come.
Constellation Records: http://www.cstrecords.com
