The Czech Republic isn't well known for it's post-rock, perhaps because its residents consume more alcohol per capita than any other country in the world. It must be hard to find the pedal board under those circumstances, and what's a post-rock band to do without electronic gadgets at its disposal? But I digress... The wonderfully titled C is a quartet of C's from Czech Republic who formed about eight years ago and have two albums to its name, Universum, and the topic of discussion today - Underlove.

As most sophomore efforts go, Underlove is not a great departure from the band's previous work, but more an extension of the mathy/progressive instrumental rock front. Essentially, this is a watered-down version of Ellis the Vacuumchild, or maybe what EtV sounded like in its early stages of development. Arguably, C is most interesting when it mimics its peers in form, by adopting a similar abstract style of position and movement. It's this kind of daring, playful environment that really allows the various influences that C brings in to coalesce into a solid unit. "C or no to C," "F9hdq," and "Underlove" are all great examples of C's proficiency in this department. 

When Underlove strays from this safe haven, disaster strikes. Particularly in the lengthier tracks, "Cream 39" and "When the Lights Start to Shine," C's newfound exploratory mindset quickly reveals weak spots in the song-writing. The experimental traits that so well characterize the shorter tracks is toned down in order to focus on a more traditional, meandering approach. The result? Seven minutes of awkward, repetitive, psych influenced strumming. I'd take masturbatory psych-rock any day of the week, at least then the magmatic energy that initializes the album isn't completely capsized by meddling instrumentation.

There's hope yet for C; the band has tasted greatness on Underlove, and it's just a matter of time until the trite moments are eventually worn away and the remaining mass shaped into something spectacular. 

-Lee Whitefield