Montreal's
Godspeed You Black Emperor! may get most of the press south of the 49th parallel, but their labelmates
Do Make Say Think are more than Toronto's answer to the Quebecois collective; over the course of four albums, their own brand of instrumental post-rock has grown in scope and complexity to a point that 2003's
Winter Hymn Country Hymn Secret Hymn is as good as or better than anything the more famous band has released. Although the nine lengthy tracks all start similarly to
Godspeed's epic slowcore, with single guitar, percussion or horn lines that float unmoored for seconds or even minutes before other instruments slowly coalesce around them. But where
Godspeed's songs all tend to follow the same basic epic format, these songs are much more varied in both length and textures, ranging from the
King Crimson-like slow build into squalling guitar-based rock of "Frederica" to the dizzying orchestral cut-ups of "Auberge le Mouton Noir" to the jazzy swing of the horn-led "Ontario Plates," which recalls the post-fusion experimentation of Norway's
Jaga Jazzist. A richly detailed and musically compelling album that works both as a collection of songs and a fully integrated whole,
Winter Hymn Country Hymn Secret Hymn is a huge creative step forward for
Do Make Say Think. ~ Stewart Mason