I’m a Thrill Jockey junkie. I can’t get enough of what really amounts to very litte… Brokeback is another Doug McCombs side project. He’s one of the boys behind Tortoise, 11th Dream Day and Pullman. Musically Brokeback is closest to Tortoise (or maybe even a less whacked-out god-speed you black emperor), but a bit more “organic” and droney. John McEntire’s Dn’B fascinations don’t pop up anywhere on this album, and that’s both a good thing and a bad thing.

Brokeback reads like a post-rock smut novel; it’s more of the same: long songs, repetitive non-hooks, and no words. That’s not to say that it’s bad at all. On the contrary, there are 2 songs on this short disk that are among the best indie/post rock I’ve heard in ages. “Lives of the Rhythm Experts,” and “Running Scared” are beautiful.

Each song is based on a short film (also on the CD, but I didn’t watch them) by the same filmmaker who made “Dutch Harbor,” and some of the music on this disk resembles the brooding soundtrack that accompanied that film. All in all, I’d give this a 7.5 out of 10. If the middle song were a bit shorter, a bit better-planned, or both, it would have been a 9. The first and last tracks are that good. Definitely check this out. Play with Chicago music(not the band Chicago).

- Ryan Woodsmall