For those who thought If I Could See Dallas was too tame, Down the Elements is a perfect follow-up. This EP sees Japancakes venturing down dark and dreary alleys and coming back with some twisted, sometimes frightening tracks. This is post-rock, through and through, with greater emphasis on keyboard and electronic work, downplaying the natural sounds of the guitar that marked the debut, and really just experimenting their hearts out. Even though this might seem an odd turn for the band based on its initial work, knowing that Japancakes original formed to play a D chord for the better part of an hour, it should be clear that these aren't your typical southerners. Which is another astonishing point -- music this wacked out was generally unheard of this far south prior to Japancakes' arrival.

"Allah Rahka," the last track on Dallas, foreshadows the arrival of Down the Elements, dropping the guitar dominance and going straight for the jugular with a furious tide of ambience. "Version 1" starts off Down the Elements similarly -- we get about thirty seconds of very quiet instrumentation before the first melody hits. The track unravels with a mystical world vibe that today we'd claim "sounds like Grails." Yeah, it's spooky how much this vibes with Grails' established sound, eight full years later. However, the tribal rock out never surfaces and Japancakes simply keeps the good spirits safely intact, careful not to lose its cool.

Things take a 180 degree turn with "A.W. Sonic," which sounds like the band collectively ingested a fistful of ecstasy and have hijacked the nearest rainbow express train. Even though the track is farily repetitive and lasts eleven minutes, it doesn't lose its punch and staves off boredom with a continual bombardment of sonic bliss. I think it's here that Japancakes reach their songwriting stride. The track is an odd mix of elements but the band makes it all sound great together, and furthermore, makes it sound natural. What could easily collapse into a moment of questionable intentions never does; Japancakes shows that even while their experimental side is talking the helm there's still an underlying component of class to their music which guides us through the hectic cornucopia of noises.

"Sputnik" and "Down the Elements" strip down the first two tracks and gently lead into some pretty heavy ambient territory. "Down" is the real treat here, sixteen unadulterated minutes of shimmering notes, vibrant pulses, and hazy atmosphere. Again, it's an unexpected turn in an EP filled with unexpected turns -- the last hurrah for a mightily ambitious project. In a decade filled with wonderful contributions to the ambient community, "Down" certainly holds its own. Cutting-edge it isn't, but irresistible it sure is. By the end of the track it'll have the listener either soundly asleep, lost in their own imagination, or simply "blissed out." It's a fitting conclusion to a collection of tracks that greatly expand the band's already impressive repertoire.

While the tracks don't make all that much sense together, the overall effect is hard to miss. Japancakes effectively spread their wings to the world and set the stage for a jaw dropping sophomore album. The band's versatility is the real winner when all is said and done. After a relatively unassuming debut, Down the Elements confirms that Japancakes aren't merely a group of do-gooders and choirs boys. No, there's some real bite behind all the pleasantries, and given the the right impetus, they're willing to strike out and get aggressive with their tunes. And, perhaps most importantly, although the band generally functions outside of genres and trends, Downshows that they're not incapable of inhabiting such a niche, they just have far better things to do with their time.

-Jordan Volz