Cold Jubilee (Of the Snowqueen)

Post-rock as such isn't dead, but it is looking a lot less like the future the more time passes. That said, the German quartet on its fourth album does its best to demonstrate that rhythm-heavy, jazz-tinged breaks and general late-night moody funk aren't fully the preserve of the type of people who only wear corduroy and talk about tasty licks (and for that, humanity can be grateful in general). Having previously only worked in the musical realm, Tijuana Mon Amour add vocals on Cold Jubilee, thanks to guitarist/keyboardist Matthias Petzold, whose occasional semi-whispered parts are enjoyable enough if not particularly striking. (On "Day After," the overall effect with the vocals and piano in combination uncomfortably suggests the suffocating dullness of Coldplay.) As for the album as a whole, it's a pleasant effort though it, too, doesn't always succeed at being as uniquely involving as it aims for. Certainly songs like "Follow Me" work in the same realm of understated yet dramatic build that Tortoise's "Djed" established as a model some time back, but generally speaking this is a superior form of mood music that is well played and attractive enough while not really nestling in the memory banks.