It's been awhile since I last had the opportunity to sit down and listen to a nice, shameless post-rock record. It seems that the genre, which was going at full speed last year, has run out of steam, although there have been some good post-rock records released this year, most of them haven't been much to get excited about, and those that were have meshed the experimental approach of the genre with more traditional techniques. This means that while the music might be good, it doesn't quite have the grandeur, pomposity, and magnificence that an album by Sigur Rós or Mogwai might have.

Radio Free Isaac, who are based in Croatia, definitely take their cues more from bands like Explosions In The Sky and Mono than the more orchestral groups in the genre. The double-pronged guitar attack employed by the band gives the music an air of aggression and coarseness that isn't really matched by any other instrumental rock band. Where Mogwai take their cues from early 90s alt-rock, and Explosions In The Sky are influenced by a lot of guitar-pop, Radio Free Isaac sound more like their influences are punk and hardcore music than anything else.

One of the reasons that Radio Free Isaac might come off as so aggressive sounding is their song titles, which are not only quite long, but extremely vivid in their descriptions. I'll Shoot You In The Head And Paint My Walls With Your Brains, for instance, is probably one of the most original song titles I've heard for awhile, and one that most other bands probably wouldn't touch. In fact, due to the absence of vocals, the song titles do remarkably well in filling in context to the songs. The themes of anger, regret, and adoration might not be indicated by the music, but when you look at a song title like Boy + Girl + Stars, you can't help but agree that the song is, indeed, played out at a romantic lookout somewhere on a starry night.

The lack of much musical context does work against the band in some ways though, a couple of pieces in the middle do sound indistinguishable, although that's not as major a problem on an album like this as it would be on a more traditional arrangement. The instrumentation itself, which obviously becomes more important on an instrumental record, is good; it never soars into the stratosphere, but it never gets dull or mediocre. The band has a good ear for changing the riff or style of their music just before it gets boring, you won't be thinking "oh, here comes that riff again". The only disappointment is the lack of any real musical crescendos, although given the overall tone of the album, not to mention the fact that it was getting passé over a year ago, that's quite understandable.

"Broken Hearts & Other Mortal Wounds" isn't a particularly original or exhilarating record, but it's still a very well done record. Fans of post-rock, instrumental rock, and punk should all find something to enjoy here.