As the Poets Affirm

Sometimes you can tell a post-rock album a mile away. Arty cover? Check. Long, wordy, and overall unwieldy album title? Check. Lower case spelling? Check. Ellipsis? Check. In fact, I could go on and on and …As The Poets Affirm could fill all of them, but surface does not a record review make. Hailing from Ottawa, Ontario, this five-piece is new to the quiet-loud scene, but from the intricacy and energy found in the songs, you probably couldn’t tell. Divided into two layers, with the first one being odes to five of the nine Grecian muses (apparently Terpsichore, muse of choral songs and the dance, doesn’t deserve a mention), which is just a tad more light and atmospheric than the second layer, save the first rocking track, "Polyhymnia.” The music is uniformly great, with "Erato” and "Seventy Three” even teetering on the verge of brilliant, with triumphant guitars, strings and an energy that lacks in many bands in the genre. The musicianship, at times, can even be compared to current masters, Do Make Say Think or even GY!BE, but there is something missing. The territory is well-trodden in today’s indie music scene, and there just doesn’t seem to be that element that makes …As The Poets Affirm jump out and demand attention, but from the talent displayed on this admirable effort, this band will only get better as their momentum progresses.