The album Winter Hymn Country Hymn Secret Hymn is the fourth release from the Toronto based band Do Make Say Think. The songs on the album range from a light airy feel to melodic twists of jazz entangled by intricate melodies. The CD is reminiscent of artists such as Tortoise, Mogwai, or Questions in Dialect, showing they can amass many capabilities to form an instrumental growth that seduces the listener. This includes experimenting with song structure, adding horns into the melodies, and providing enough emotion into the music to keep the flow of it steady. Each song is a series of crescendos with horns blaring and then trail off, while a faint melody plays in the background.
"Fredericia," the title track, progressively fuses jazz beats, overdriven guitar, and blaring horns to triumph in turmoil of melodies centered on the drums' driving beat. "Outer Inner and Secret," a lengthy track becomes a journey from one realm to the next as it starts off in a slow syncopated rhythm that catches the ears of the listener to follow it beyond the atmosphere. The guitar strums, dies and resurrects itself to introduce a new part of the journey. For a moment, we breathe new as the drums pound a steady rhythm; the prelude to the end. Finally, the horns enter announcing their presence and a slide guitar mimics the voice which brings it back to Earth. The most notable track is the rock-oriented "Horns of a Rabbit." This track delivers a forceful, yet addicting resonation of bass and snare amongst the overdriven and clean sounds. Dual guitar solos, a bass progression, violins, and even handclaps pour forth a delightful dance. In "It's Gonna Rain," we faintly hear raindrops quietly drizzling on the pavement, the arrival of a quiet redemption. The finale, "Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!" features the only voices on the album, sighs of relief amongst the band. This conclusion bids farewell to the listener with a wave of slides and synthesizers.
Upon completion, Winter Hymn Country Hymn Secret Hymn provides a new instrumental sound, one which builds upon the past to produce a sphere of rock, blues, and jazz; instrumental/post-rock at its best.
5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
Opus 2003Reviewed by Jason MoreheadAfter last year's stellar & Yet & Yet, Do Make Say Think established themselves (in my mind, at least) as the pre-eminent Canadian post-rock outfit. And that impression has really borne out in the past 6 months, as a number of releases from some of Do Make Say Think's label-mates, as well as from other bands peripheral to the Constellation crew, proved to be rather disappointing and lackluster…Similar sounding releases
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