Mona De Bo’s “Nekavējies, šīs Ir Spēles ar Tevi” is a stylish instrumental rock album with majestic horn arrangements supporting Gibraltar-solid guitar work. Think post-rock minus epic overreach and sludge without the toxicity. Everything on this disc, from the balloon pop snare beats to the gloriously fuzzed out guitar, is right on the money. Songs are heavy but have a cinematic quality that makes them more than just riff after subsequent riff. There are calm, pensive basins where the music cools before riding a wave of guitar static high into the atmosphere. Parts range from intricate puzzle boxes to monolithic slabs of Platonic simplicity.

Horns were mentioned above but I keep coming back to them. They serve as an amazing foil to the music’s weight and murk. The horns are something to see in the fog, detailing the blasts of guitar and allowing the music to steadily advance. These players are in a class apart from the droves of big-volume, distortion pedal-linking would-be face-melters out there. They’re great songwriters, knowing when to be patient and when to annihilate. I may not ever be able to pronounce the title, but this is one of the best rock-out records I’ve heard this year. 8/10 -- Mike Pursley (28 July, 2010)