I always appreciated the pedigree of Canadian music, but was never able to convince myself that the country was truly respectable until Godspeed You Black Emperor eradicated any thoughts of Alanis or Sloan, and slapped a hefty amount of cred on the Yukon. Godspeed labelmates Do Make Say Think further the velvet Canuck revolution with their own brand of maddeningly affecting slow burn compositions, but they mine common ground to very different effect.
Do Make Say Think's extended developments of melodic themes are driven principally by guitar, but soon explode into grand crescendos that run the gamut from free jazz ("When Day Chokes the Night") to pensive lock-grooves ("Minmin"). Their work is definitely a certain kind of "post-rock," but thankfully, they steer clear of generic Tortoisisms.
Two drummers duel subliminally for the rhythmic steering wheel while warm keyboards and effects do their part in articulating the distinctive texture. However, it's the sound of the guitar that lends this album its cohesive sound. The six strings creep around corners with repeated melodic refrains, a rough sound played with a delicacy that belies the stamping of the distortion pedal that will strike as surely as the apocalypse.
Each song has its particular crest, and while Do Make Say Think follow the formula religiously, the tension they build with each release cancels any lethargy. Fittingly, the final track, "Goodbye Enemy Airship," erupts as if the previous tracks were mere tremors. It's this band's "Mogwai Fear Satan," an effects-laden cloud enveloping a determined bass pulse.
The six-strong line-up recorded this album in a barn, and a moving sense of dramatic isolation is felt as the song-cycle of Goodbye Enemy Airship the Landlord is Dead unfolds. It's like walking down a beaten country road littered with inclines and declines at night and not daring to deviate from the path or look back. Each chord is a step forward, each outburst a cathartic cry to the domineering starry sky. Do Make Say Think have imbued their second album with such a strong sense of purpose and an indefatigable belief in their characteristic sound that comparisons become largely irrelevant. That they succeed so well on their own terms without weighing their music down with tired post-rock clichés makes their work that much more compelling.
