Windsor For The Derby

While the progress of Windsor for the Derby from egghead post-rock plotters to dreamy slowcore sweethearts has been a gradual affair over their 15-year history, this end result is still somewhat remarkable. Listening to tracks from their late '90s albums like Calm Hades Float or Minnie Greunzfeldt, hints of this hazy transformation were already imbedded, but were held in check by the more angular structures of their rhythm section. Against Love finds them surfing the same wave as groups like Aarktica, American Analog Set or Manual, though tracks like "Hips" do nod back to their starting point. Dan Matz and Jason McNeely's move from Austin to Philadelphia has put them in touch with a delicate psychedelic side, which first manifested itself in singles like 1999's "Now I Know the Sea." This album holds the mood most consistently, with tracks like "Autumn Love" and "Queen of the Sun" (which could be a mirage of a Robyn Hitchcock b-side) putting songs front and centre, letting moodier pieces, like closer "Tropical Depression," provide a little grey for contrast.