It's quite simple really. There are four tracks. Do. Make. Say. Think. If this is the defining statement for the band, then it is defined very, very well. For this sixth full length album from the Toronto collective sees their star shining as brightly as ever. Ever consistent and frequently brilliant, the music here is robust, daring, exciting and totally rewarding.

Opener "Do" is a thrusting beast of a song. Guitars parry back and forth, ensnaring the listener in an intoxicating and vibrant web of sonic composition. This song builds and collapses several times, hitting peaks before declining and then rising again. As the guitars ache and bellow, we are also carried away by frenetic and forthright drumming before a slew of horns enters to heighten the already explicit drama. The song then peaks before coming to a leisurely pace. This gives us time to digest before moving on to the next course, the shimmering "Make". This song plays in a different register, a lower one. Guitars tremble and thunder, moving with great precision and even poetry along to the conclusion. This imperious song is also augmented by horns as well as the mournful vocals of Akron/Family. Sublime to be sure. "Say" is more experimental. It begins with syncopated notes and no hint of guitar. Initially that is. After two minutes the guitars enter the fray, weaving intricate and symmetric patterns. This song is definitely one that pays off with time. Each listen reveals a little more detail. A little more of itself. It rewards the patient discerning listener, a definite reward in this disposable age we live in. Do Make Say Think are in it for the long haul, reminding us that the best music is made for us to make an emotional investment in. It is made to assure us that each search for the beauty that is possible is truly worthwhile. The search on this album ends with the contemplative and meditative "Think". It is a composition in languid and deliberate notes of ecstatic sound. This band is a master at perfecting a natural balance in their music. They can give you the thrust to send you into the stratosphere and also the emotional punch to give you comfort and peace. This is music that is natural and real. Honest, true and sparklingly intelligent. Do Make Say Think have given us one of the stand alone moments of 2009.