Moderate Rock

This shouldn’t work. The second record by Lazybones Flame Kids methodically ticks every post-rock box before the opening track is through. Slow marching drums, a languid, looping guitar line, and the requisite rapturous crescendo are all put in their right place. But as ‘Beyond’ barrels forward, the excellently-named Sardinian four-piece behind it bend and break and bolt new things on to the formula. ‘Greek Fire’ storms into life and never really lets up, no quiet-loud dynamic here, ‘That One Is Cacus’ layers in staccato vocals and elements of post-punk, and the bottom-heavy ‘A Part of You’ flexes more metallic muscle. And they don’t stop there. While much post-rock relies on lengthy, moody melancholy, these ‘Kids operate with relative brevity and employ real riffs and warm melodies alongside the standard soaring sounds. The end result is a record that feels much more significant than its 40-minute runtime, one that allies all the cinematic power of classic post-rock with songwriting chops novel enough to demand repeated listens. They should be even braver next time.