LIFT YOUR SKINNY FISTS LIKE ANTENNAS TO HEAVEN

Wow... what an incredible piece of music. I'm not much for post/experimental rock, but I must say that this is a great album. It reminds of Tales from Topographic Oceans in that it has only 4 songs. After that, this album is an entity in its own. The Canadian group really does a terrific job going through many different moods in each of the quasi-instrumental suites. Each song has a great balance of soft sections that erupt into a cresendo of mixed chaos. The musicians on the album play with such precision and great timing, that it often feels like an improvised jam ocurring in your headphones.

The album shifts between light and dark areas. The light areas are often more mellow, and have a laid back sense. It often feels like you're in a dream when listening to these sections. But then when the band erupts into a bombastic section, the atmosphere changes drastically from light to dark, giving a sense of shock and awe to the listener. All of the tracks exhibit this quality. On some it is done flawlessly and never feels like it is dragged on, and on some it feels more like album filler. The quasi-vocal parts of the album are all also very well done. The beginning of the 4th track, there is an acoustic interlude with muddled, sludgy vocals that quickly evolves into an all-out progressive jam. There is a part in the 1st track where you can here a conversation between a group of children, and all of the laughing and singing in the background, and it gives the music an eerie feeling.

I recommend this album to anyone who has any taste in good music. The atmosphere varies marginally, and it often is a moody and dreary atmosphere. The group really did a great job on this effort. I give it a 4/5 for some minor dry spots during the quiet passages.