Customer Reviews

Winter Hymn Country Hymn Secre

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I usually give all records I review 4 or 5 stars--regardless of how different they may be on all levels---because I have a very diverse taste in music that crosses into all genres and musics, but I have to say every once and a while comes a record that hits me on all the right levels. Do Make Say Think's Winter Hymn Counry Hymn Secret Hymn is that record for me right now. Absolutely wonderful melodies? Heavy emotional resonance? Tightly constructed peices? Soft and loud? Fast and slow? Music of epic proportions? This record is all those things, often within the same song. The songs go on as long as they want, basking in their emotive glory, but very rarely enter the realm of monotony because, even when something is repeated for a while, it keeps building up on layers and layers of sound until they collapse and fall back into yet another beautiful riff. Elements of both their post-rock instrumental brothers and sisters (Godspeed, Slint, etc.) and more lyric based luminaries such as Sonic Youth, Flaming Lips, Neutral Milk Hotel,Yo La Tengo, and Radiohead can be found in the overall compositions. Infact, if the latter bands all joined together and scrapped lyrics altogether, they would sound exactly like Do Make Say THink....

Furthermore, this record's so good, that it's almost impossible to pick a favorite track. It's mostly rock-based, but there are also elements of jazz (specificaly on "Ontario Plates") and classical ("War On WAnt" in particular) and ambience (almost every track is intertwined with little atmospheric sections). THere's something here for everyone, and I'm not kidding when I say it's absolutely beautiful and psychadelic.

See also: Jackie O. Motherfu**er:Wow!/Magick Fire Music (or something like that), Godspeed You Black Emperor!: F#A#, Broken Social Scene: You Forget In People, Black Dice: Beaches and Canyons, and here's a classic that you should check out, Sun Ra: Cosmic Tones For Mental THerapy and any other Sun Ra for that matter.

I hate when people say "Best (blank) ever", especially about music because music is so personal. But I've listened to a lot of post-rock (a genre that hates to name itself, by the way) and this album is just so great. I'm so glad to see that the average review is five stars, so few really deserve this much praise. Things that set Do Make Say Think apart from their peers: 1)They have a greatly expanded melodic vocabulary. Not all moments here are somber or angry. 2)There is just so little indulgence in this music. Nothing in here seems to last forever or go off into a place that is unnecessary. 3)The semi-exotic instrumentation (horns and strings, basically) isn't temporary and isn't there to back-up the guitars. The chamber elements used here really function in a way that's integrated. I have a big place in my heart for Godspeed...!, Mogwai and Tortoise, but this album has got them all beat.

I got into DMST after their last album And Yet And Yet came out. Often included in the list of bands surrounding Montreal's Godspeed You! Black Emperor, I have found Do Make Say Think to be my favorite by a large margin.

The latest release from Do Make Say Think is split into 3's. The title lists the three hymnal sections Winter, Country and Secret. Each sectional consists of 3 songs with Winter being the most overtly rocking and the finale Secret being the mellow comedown (and the shortest section).

The Winter section evokes the harsh reality of a cold, dark winter, full of stormy crescendos and a bleak feel. After this trio of songs, the listener will indeed be praying for spring to arrive. The middle section lives up to it's name as it evokes a pleasant stroll through the countryside, at least until the final couple of minutes of the last song of the section where the rock kicks in in a big way. The final section, Secret, has a more ethereal feel to it, one that makes me think of clouds for some reason. There is an intimacy to this section as if the 'secret' is being whispered in your ear.

I was disappointed on my first listen to this disc. The second listen changed all that and now I am somewhere in the 50th or 60th listen at this point. Buy this and then run out and pick up the whole back catalogue. You will not be disappointed.

Do Make Say Think are instrumental, cinematic indie rock hailing from Quebec. This is definitely a sister album to their previous, "And Yet And Yet", rather than their first two albums. They've departed a little from their original epic buildup sound and become a bit more like Chicago instrumental post rock without the malaise: tighter, snappier, yet still as indulgent as ever with the song lengths (10 minutes tops - no complaints here). I don't want to imply it's a total frenzy though - just lively. They make excellent use of poignant lulls and Mogwai(c) dynamic crescendos. As with &Yet&Yet, lilting waltz-like time signatures, syncopation and jazzy little fills abound. And as with all their albums, Winter Hymns has its few moments of truly transcendent beauty, where the musicianship and the mix comes together and makes your toes curl.

this is an amazing piece of work. i truly love all the instrumental bands out there. godspeed, explosions, album leaf, mogwai. etc etc etc... this is oft comapred to those above, but it is definitely its own thing. if you are a fan of their earlier works, then this is a bit of a departure, or rather a progression. they still have the jazzy dynamic tension, build ups, and rhythmic noodling they are best known for, but on this release they take the lows even lower and the highs even higher, that goes for the instruments and the moods. unlike past albums which conitinued building but never fully released, this album is full of the desired release. and yes, at some points the music is so perfect as to make your toes curl. real heavenly moments. dont be afraid to get lost in your music, start here. i also recommend picking up all their earlier stuff too. you wont be disappointed. peace...

Great, i get to be the 4th reviewer. I guess that about sums up how popular this band is. Well, rare gems are hard to find. This disk has a lot of variety but DMST definitely has a distinct sound. I have there previous 2 disks and think this one is the best. Has a more warm cozy, country feel to it. Some of it is very beautiful, some slightly annoying and noisy. If you are investigating them because of godspeed and the constellation stuff, they are not the same. Well, you do get some tremelo guitar (what's with that anyway), but the music is far more pleasant and palatible. enjoy

I must say that upon purchasing this album I wasnt sure as to what I should expect. I'm not completely sure why I thought this, maybe I was just being dramatic...thats beside the point. The point is that DMST has brought a new album out from their pits with extreme glory. The organic feel throughout this album is so rich and pure, the sounds are so revolting with beautiful harmony it makes one think "why is such a good band?" well I s'pose thats not really a complete question... but think about it.

This album truely must be listened from the start to the end. I could get more in depth on this peice of art, but then i'd just confuse myself and probably you. So i'm just going to stick with my original thought: I don't like not liking this album, therefore I will like it.