In a bloated and somewhat staid Irish post rock scene, that’s suffering from an epidemic of predictability, it’s encouraging to find a record as vibrant, vigorous, and accomplished as Leo Drezden’s debut album ‘Multi-Moment’. The quartet, led by Solar Bears’ Rian Trench, avoids the cul- de-sac of uniformity by bypassing the tedious, piercing, high-end guitar twiddling that has soured the genre. Instead, they opt to embrace elements of jazz, cinematic soundscapes and innovative sampling whilst maintaining the traditional bombast of the genre. The result is an album which draws influence from diverse quarters such as Frank Zappa’s Hot Rats, Berlin era Bowie (Brian Eno), Steely Dan, Stereolab, tropical pop and funk.

The reasoning behind the album title becomes quite apparent early on in the progression of this album with each track not limited to one single genre or approach to music making. The opening tropical staccato guitar shanks and synth stabs of Approach are instantly engaging, but the track takes an unexpected twist with frantic power chords entering the mix before the track culminates in a Digital Love-esque guitar boogie. While Black Palace melds Steely Dan style arpeggios, with Zappa trickery before bursting into another Daft Punk-esque whigout. And this is just the opening salvo of ‘Multi-Moment’.

What follows is equally diverse, challenging, and enjoyable. Slave Lake introduces space vibes to counteract the guitar/synth bombast of tracks such as Quest. Indeed many of the tracks such as Necromancer or A Fierce Merging would soundtrack the solitude of space perfectly in a Hollywood blockbuster. But the album really shines in its upbeat and jazz odyssey moments, such Hunting Drums, Omen Satellite Capricorn and Green Fire Magic that display the group’s ability to produce complex and intricate compositions.

Despite its complete lack of lyrics, We Found Her Lying There marches ‘Multi Moment’ to a sudden halt with a crescendoing sing-along melody line that will surely catapult audiences into song.

‘Multi-Moment’ is a fine debut and Leo Drezden are a welcome addition to the Irish post rock family.