So many comebacks this year! I am thinking there must be something in the stars. If there is, Do Make Say Think have definitely captured it. They captured the essence of star explosion, to be precise.
Stubborn Persistent Illusions is the first album by Canadian band Do Make Say Think since the eight year hiatus and the album Other Truths. That is a long break, isn’t it? So, the least we could hope is that the wait was worth it. Sixth studio release brings an hour of experimental rock, with melodies and affluent arrangements that will catapult you to some spaces that were not yet reached by human beings. I guess this means that the wait was worth it. This album will definitely make you look deep into your core.
Frequent changes in tempo, the strength of the sound, dominant instruments that affect mood, ambient of the songs…it all converges into an alternative rock and jazz masterpiece. Many other genres are omnipresent on the record, but I sometimes love putting music into category. Father, I have sinned.
The music on Stubborn Persistent Illusions is affectionate, powerful, ecstatic, eclectic, hypnotic. Sometimes, it is loud. At other times, it is mellow. Guitars, bass, two drum sets, piano, violins, trumpet and saxophone create dramatic, intense, almost movie-like atmosphere that does not follow the typical parameters of space-time continuum. Boundaries do not exist on this album. I would like to avoid dissecting each individual song. Instead, I am going to conclude that anyone who loves Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Mogwai, Explosions in The Sky and Tortoise will find their spiral galaxy here. I could not be happier that they have decided to return and take us with them on a diverse cosmic journey. If I had to grade this album, I would do so in light years. Do Make Say Think made something that is hundreds light years away from this planet. And now it’s available to you on your phones, or any other record players. Enjoy this intergalactic audio dust.
