3 out of 5

Label: Southern

Produced by: John McEntire

You know what happens when you add Tortoise guys into a post-rock band?  They start to sound like Tortoise.  And I like Tortoise okay, but I liked my Albini-recorded, punkier, double-bass Dianogah a lot, lot more.

But I get it.  Dianogah’s ‘limitations’ for its shtick – a criticisms of Jay Ryan’s flat vocals – seemed to always slot them as a lesser-than Chicago act, while Tortoise did their studio-bred be-bop groove chillax thing to rave reviews.  So when John McEntire comes in and lends keys and his organic production style to ‘nogah, suddenly they were worth note, leaving those of us who liked their rawer pep hanging on the scattered rockers on the disc – Maria, Which Has Got Her Heart Completely Fucked Up is a blast; Take Care, Olaf has the steady thrumb of Battle Champions – and there are successful fusions of the sound, like on Flat Panda, which allows for guitar and synth in support of the Dianogah backbone.  A lot of the disc, though, sounds like opener Wrapping The Lamb, Sir which is, to say again, it sounds like Tortoise.  McEntire even seemed to encourage some shorter form electronics-tinged experiments.  And that’s all totally palatable and laid back, but it’s not the Dianogah I wanted, because that ‘shtick’ of theirs always sounded to me a lot more original than the plenty-o’ Tortoise soundalikes already out and about.