4 out of 5

Label: Expert Work Records

Produced by: Abe Seiferth

The hype sticker on We Contain Multitudes’ debut RIYLs some cream of the crop names for instrumental rock and metal: Pelican; The Fucking Champs; and adds that to a list which also includes Steely Dan and King Crimson, daydreaming up some wide-ranging act that stretches metal through prog to folk. Do we get there?

Hm.

To me, the best reference here is one not listed: Turing Machine, whose Justin Chearno is thanked in the liner notes, and a family member of another band – Adam Fuchs – offers up some very lovely 70s / 80s-inspired artwork.

I think the RIYLs are more aspirational, befitting the name; while the actual content prioritizes what TM rather uniquely brought to the instrumental rock scene: momentum. However, where that group translated that through a Trans Am-y sense of krautrock, TCM kind of low-key things in a way, doing some very complex arrangements and concepts in a calm, loose manner, which is why aspirations of Steely Dan and King Crimson and others don’t feel out of place.

A first pass on Minako had me wondering when the album was going to rock out; it has a perpetual vibe of delay, such as the way the opening title track almost exists wholly as a feedback-tickled intro to B-side’s poppy Can We Just Not?, which approximately maps to Pelican’s poppier era (i.e. City of Echoes) but is a lot lighter on its feet. D9 is pure Turing Machine; We Are All Fucked whips out some tight mathrock before seguing back to atmospherics, then bringing in some punkier interplay on Bathroom Drugs, giving us the approximate dimensions of the listen: steady-state versions of atmospheric rock, psychedelia, different -cores. And how do I mean “steady-state?” In the sense that Minako is all of those styles – and whatever else is referenced in its RIYL – but is executed so chill that you’re not really thinking about it.

This is a knock against the album overall, but also kinda one of its huge pluses, if a slowburn one: the album is not a demanding listen, and the players rather enjoy holding your hand throughout, casually strolling. That doesn’t mean there aren’t moments that perk up and rock out, but Abe Seiferth’s warm, sparkling production gives the album a living room vibe, with Bob Weston’s mastering making sure that highs and lows still have punch. So while you’re wondering when the big “moment” is going to come, you’ve already reached the end of the album, tapping your toe the entire time. And then a second spin reveals more of the relative peaks and valleys – coming out further upon additional spins, which are incredibly easy to commit to given the sounds’ low stakes.

I heard a single from Minako and I was super excited; I bought it and scrambled to the digital and felt a bit letdown; I kept listening and refound that excitement: this is one of my favorite, most enduring listens of the year.