Post-rockers withhold desire for immediacy, but will always wallow in thirst for memorable music. It’s a powerful thing-- the ability to take something away from an album and stow it inside of you for days, weeks, maybe even years. On the flip side, it’s fair to say that the majority of instrumental releases lack this quality. While sometimes packed with intense passages and quirky buildups, a lopsided amount of albums will end up covered in dust on the CD shelf or unplayed in the iTunes library, except for the occasional spin on random shuffle. Despite its talent and long-standing status as one of the seminal post-rock bands, veteran instrumental artists Do Make Say Think and their fifth full-length You, You’re a History In Rust, fall into the latter category.

There is no denying the inherent talent of DMST. They have consistently released albums thick with atmosphere, often combining wildly diverse spectrums of music. They’ve also steadily created one of the most loyal and widespread fan bases in the classically abused genre of post-rock, but it’s just… something is missing from You, You're a History In Rust. These guys have evolved in spectacular fashion over the years, the trademark brass sticking around like the opposable thumb while other limbs of their creations come and go with each release, but each maintaining that infamous DMST spirit. In the long run though, the band's new album seems to come up just shy of being something spectacular. It’s almost frustrating.

...Rust reveals a slightly more personal side of this Canadian band. The songs breathe with in-the-basement lungs. Chalky, dusty, a pack-a-day sound crawls out of the speakers, circling up towards the ceiling like a dead ghost. But just as quickly as it smacks the air for inhalation, it dissipates into nothing again. For a moment, unfathomable. Afterwards, forgettable.

I’m beating a dead horse here, but it’s fair to say diehard fans will cling to this album like a lost treasure, embracing its vicissitude and catchy, surprisingly warm, fuzzy interludes that throw some sunshine on the otherwise cold soundtrack. And perhaps that’s exactly where extended listening to this release pays off (i.e. track 4, "A Tender History in Rust")-- in those brief moments that may not bowl you over, but instead slowly seep into your ears and try to make a home somewhere in your memory. Only time will tell. After five releases, Do Make Say Think is still producing commemorable music, but now we start to wonder if the band's best work is behind it.

-Jonathan Brooks