It takes some degree of talent to make a listenable instrumental disc. So, before I say anything too negative, I'll give The Snake Trap at least some credit for constructing roughly 50 minutes of music that isn't mind-numblingly pointless. That said, they didn't manage to do a whole lot to keep it interesting, either. Or, rather, they tried, but it's just not working as well as one might hope. Take, for instance, "Four Sores & Seven Beers Ago, Pt. I," the first part of a 3 part, roughly 20 minute epic. There are transitions from uplifting melodic parts to chaotic breakdowns to the sludgy resolution, but there's something missing to tie it all together. The sludgier, more droning parts are reminiscent of Pelican, but there's a sense of dynamics or emotional force or something that The Snake Trap's music is largely devoid of.
There are a few exceptions, such as the even more Pelican-esque "Hiroshi's Ebay Bike" or the frenetic "28 & 7/8" that save this disc from being relegated to deletion after the review. Listeners sitting on the fence on how they feel about instrumental music won't be swayed by this disc, but some post-rock fans will probably find something they enjoy here.
