Like Stationary Odyssey's past releases, Sons of Boy is an interesting instrumental pastiche of confluences, melding ambiance, electronic programming, math-rock and post-rock into a colorful array of flowing sound.

Still, it never quite provides that overly combustible and drawing moment. "Ghost Moth" and "Torticline" have an elegant flow about them both, while nothing extraordinarily well-conceived jumps out. But the stream is pleasant and the execution more subtle than in the past, save the practically lo-fi, nearly metallic mathy fits in "Torticline," as well as the track's well-placed, high-register synths and sparkling programming touches towards its end.

"Johnfriend" is cool because it actually has kind of a verse-chorus flow to it, a really rhythmic pattern that seems unusual for the act. "Chunk Feeder Blues" is, well, a blues song, for sure, only with a few more colliding guitar effects and spazzy pedal fiddling. "Brand of Shame" throws in some acoustic strums, which one doesn't realize was needed to refresh things until it's heard; a surf guitar twang lightens the mood, too. And some wordless vocals in "Rib Letters"? While Sons of Boy wasn't necessarily missing a human element, it certainly reinforces that otherwise minimal aspect.

With the mild enjoyability derived from this, I largely feel the same way about Sons of Boy as I have about Stationary Odyssey's past fleshed-out efforts -- the experimentation and flow is interesting, but not often too compelling beyond that. Nonetheless, a musically accomplished effort all the same.

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Johnfriend