I have spoken at length about the opposing camps within the history of post rock: Team Mogwai and Team Tortoise. It seems that by and large, Team Mogwai has been the victors. These days, the term generally refers to the dramatic, climax-chasing narratives of bands like Explosions in the Sky, This Will Destroy You, and MONO.

But across the pond from the Glaswegians, you have Tortoise, whose compositions are more groove oriented, taking nods from jazz, Krautrock, and dub. Bands like Collections of Colonies of Bees, Bark Psychosis, and Do Make Say Think.

As much as I love the emotionality and bombast of the climaxcore side of post rock, I often find myself being drawn to the more cerebral side. So when I found this copy of DMST’s celebrated You, You’re a History In Rust in a used bin, I snagged it without a thought.

While the dynamic range might not be as great as the more popular vein of post rock, the sonic palette is much broader. Guitars and drums are augmented by strings, horns, marimbas, vibraphones, singing songs, banjos, accordions I think?, and the occasional vocal section. “A With Living” could sneak onto an indie rock playlist if it weren’t for the several-minute long outro.

This being post rock though, the songs extended several minutes past pop conventions. Only two of the eight songs are shorter than five minutes, without very clear lines between where one track ends and the next begins. Instead, the music rises and falls like breath. Deep inhales of quietness followed by soliloquies or laughter or outbursts.

This pattern gives the record a deeply organic feel. It’s almost difficult to imagine these songs being written into existence. It feels too natural to be anything but improvised by some massive, multiheaded organism. The instruments work in perfect concert with no sense of a bandleader or lead instrument.

But overall, there’s a purity to this record. The music is not preoccupied with notions like live shows or hooks or giving the audience something to dance to. The music simply is. It exists for its own sake. It might not be the most accessible stuff, but it’s not challenging either. And as I sit in my quiet living room sipping my cup of coffee, it’s a perfect soundtrack.