Well Kept Thing [CD]

Blistering drums, masterful melodic interplay, dynamic composition and a distinct smattering of brass — these are the defining qualities of Foxhole, a post-rock group of limited output but surprising longevity. And on their third proper album, Well Kept Thing, the band builds on their diverse foundation to deliver a (mostly) instrumental album for the ages.  Written across 12 years, five states and three countries, Well Kept Thing is a sonic autobiography, telling the story of a band growing up and journeying apart, while fighting against distance and the demands of adulthood to preserve their friendship. The beginnings of the album lay in Bowling Green, a midsize Kentucky town where the members met as teenagers nearly two decades earlier. Those threads are laid bare in the album's oldest track, “Noble Scales,” a cavernous post-rock ode with a linear build punctuated by an iconic guitar riff; one of the few tracks to have been written with the members together in a single location, its name honors the late Jason Noble, a fellow Kentuckian whose bands Rodan, Shipping News and Rachel's were formative to Foxhole's sound, and to the region's distinct musical stylings. Formed around the turn of the century, Foxhole has released three proper albums. Their full-length debut, 2004's We The Wintering Tree, (Selah Records; reissued in 2008 on Burnt Toast Vinyl) would go on to acclaim from post-rock and experimental publications as one of the best albums released that year, and tracks from it can still be heard behind television shows, skateboard videos, and NPR segments. The year 2006 brought Push/Pull (Burnt Toast Vinyl), a five-track album inspired by a friend lost at sea. Push/Pull saw a tighter focus, with emphasis on composition and a rich sonic range, and the band toured to support the album off and on for the next couple years. On