Making Trails, Self-released ***

To be a young band in thrall to mid-1980s MOR and prog is to be deemed eminently unhip, but Ana Gog are unapologetic in their indulgences. This debut album brazenly embraces rock opera-esque passages and Steely Dan-like guitar work in songs such as 100 Years and Wolf, Fox and Hound. Other tracks on this incredibly diverse record reveal a contemporary edge, stretching for the euphoric choruses of Arcade Fire or the idiosyncratic, classical-led methods of Owen Pallett. The live feel of these recordings gives Making Trails a vibrant, improvisational feel at times, dramatic crashes of cymbals regularly disrupting Michael Gallen's playful melodies. Its consequently busy nature means that songs take a little while to settle. But the heady mixture of sounds and styles is enough to keep engaged and absorbed, for the most part. anagogmusic.com

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