Relatively any group with a modicum of skills can make a post-rock instrumental album, but it takes considerably more talent – and song craftmanship – to go beyond that. “The Disappearance” by Canyons of Static demonstrates that ability and is rewarding on more than one level. Whether it’s the Tolkienesque wistfulness of “Slowly to Sea” or the walloping percussion-yowling guitar interplay of “1:17” (perversely over six minutes long), the album is largely meditative in scope (as much as distorted guitars, thrashing drums, throbbing bass, and insistent keyboards can be) and can require little attention as simple background music. However, it yields particular pleasures with concentrated listening, particularly in the thoughtful “Are we Still the Good Guys?” and the dynamic “Shelter” which features the melodic keyboards of Aggie Severson and some searing guitar by husband Ross.  The Seversons, along with bassist Chris Biertzer and drummer Nathan Gaffney, compose the tunes as a unit. And, it’s the title cut that’s the most memorable of these group-molded tunes, a simple musical figure that builds for half of its more than eight-minute-length before morphing into a series of majestic crescendos to the end.
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Canyons of Static are a good, promising post-rock band. This is a great album full of beautiful, epic melodies. My favorite song is the title track, but they\'re all good!
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