Precious Fathers

It’s a feeling with very few records, but when it shows up, it’s like slipping on that old, ratty concert T-shirt. Yes, the feeling of anticipation, or the feeling of wonderment as you want to know what’s going to happen next. After being astonishingly surprised for about five tracks on this Vancouver, BC band’s debut, there was a palpable desire to hear more, just to see how they could impress my ears next. While this band could never live up to that kind of eagerness, this album does prove itself very well, due to the one element that is severely lacking in the instrumental post-rock genre: warmth. Precious Fathers instil a great energy and tenderness into every song, with standout "Past It Pastures” being the best example to feel those rare goose bumps. Not afraid to embrace melody, the overlapping guitars playfully ring their notes to and fro while leading to a sustained rush of liveliness, leaving the listener agape in its echoed ending. Very similar to some of the instrumental experiments of Broken Social Scene, Precious Fathers create some of the lushest and warmest songs without ever reverting to the obvious vocal payoff, preferring to let the music stand for itself instead.