Do Make Say Think
Goodbye Enemy Airship The Landlord Is Dead
(Constellation)
When I first heard the self-titled debut album by Do Make Say Think, I was started by it's originality. Granted, the group sounded like Tortoise during some moments, but musical references can be made for nearly every group out there and I stretched to find some comparisons. They're post rock, they have bits of psychadelicia, they play with droning landscapes and dabble with horns, dual drummers, and bits of electronics sometimes find their way into the mix. Not only that, but Goodbye Enemy Airship... was recorded in a barn and sometimes you can even hear the crickets chirping if you try.
Even though it's a bit shorter effort than their debut, the instrumentation on the album more than makes up for things. The group has harnessed the power of quiet/loud and even though the songs sometimes change tempo right in the middle of things, the dynamic of the album just sweeps you along and wraps you up. They stretch 7 tracks out over the course of just under 50 minutes and again shows that some of the best music of right now is coming out of Canada.
The group leads into things very slowly with the meandering opening of "When Day Chokes The Night." A guitar chord repeats over and over while some other very subtle noises and static ebbs along in the background. Eventually, a bass adds into the mix before the track breaks loose with about 3 minutes to go. From there, the dual drums kick in (including one drenched in feedback) and the guitars come back and bring some horns with them for a final two minutes of bliss. After a long, spaced-out sort of jazz opening, it picks up a notch before the track recoils and leaps off again even faster. The three-movement track is one of the best on the album.
The disc doesn't stop there, though, and after an amazing shimmering build on "The Landlord Is Dead," they drop off into the weary, haunted western feel of "The Apartment Song" and the slow two-step of "All Of This Is True." The album closes out with the low bass rumble of the deep, lock-groove sounding "Bruce E Kinesis" before the amazing album closer of "Goodbye Enemy Airship." As the longest track on the album, the song again enlists the dual drumming and loose instrumentation that gives the track an almost improvisional swagger.
As a release on the Constellation label, it goes without saying that the packaging on the release is impeccable. Packaged in a cardstock sleeve with a die-cut front and braille-stamped back, it's like buying a little work of art. Combined with the music on the release, there's no doubt that it is. If you liked their last release, you won't go wrong here.
Rating: 8.5
