Entry 914 - Do Make Say Think - You, You're a History in Rust

Style: Post rock

Primary Emotions/Themes: Going out to the country side and walking along some abandoned farms, abandoned fields stretching as far as the eye can see

Thoughts: This album feels like an adventure. Exploring a long abandoned factory or farm... a place where there is a ton of history, but it's long been forgotten. Moving from one relic to the next, some of their functions lost to time... others immediately recognizable. And yet they all have long since lost their usability... it is a history in rust.

Do Make Say Think is a mostly instrumental post rock band that specializes in the ebb and flow that the genre is known for. They have the typical guitar, bass and drums that you would expect from any rock outfit, but they also have a wide variety of additional instruments mixed in. Violin, trumpet, saxophone, flutes, cornets... sometimes it seems like the list could go on forever. 

Of course not all instruments play at all times. The guitar is by far the most common instrument here, be it acoustic or electric. It sets the stage for all of the music on the album, the other instruments are used to compliment this to various degrees. 

A majority of the time the music is quite quiet and peaceful... akin to walking around a great open field. Sometimes though... sometimes the music swells into this marvelous crescendo, like a giant thunderstorm that's been brewing in the distance. 

I love the balance that this album has. There is a lot of the quieter moments... the loud moments are present but not always. They stand out as highlights of the album when they come in... and rightfully so. What this album does better than any others in the band's discography is find a balance between the two. Be it subtle melodies, or knowing what instruments to play when... the band just has a way of knowing what to do at the right times. This has not always been the case, but I'm really glad it is now.

If I only had the ability to have five post rock albums in my collection, this would be one of them. It encapsulates the wonderful musical journey that the genre can bring, and it does it so very well. It's not an album I listen to very often, but it's one that I enjoy nearly 100% of the time that I put it on... regardless of life circumstances around me. 

Written August 6th 2024