Wordless music should not mean story-free music . There has to be a thread woven, a reason to crack open the story and flip through the pages, hoping to find out how it all ends up. You need to be carried from arc to arc, twist to turn, without even thinking about need. This type of music, without the benefit of verbal communication, needs to move you and sway you in order to be effective. If it can’t, then it really is just sound.

One could argue the majority of mainstream rock, all adorned with lyrics, if that’s what you wish to call them, can’t move a feather with its flimsy, soulless content, and I’d not argue for a second. When I have the misfortune of hearing this drivel on a radio or in a store, I can’t imagine what made anyone want to create these songs other than for monetary gain or, you know, chicks. It’s even harder for me to ever grasp how people part with their hard-earned money for these songs unless it’s for, you know, chicks. Yeah, some dudes think that works. It’s an endless source of hilarity for me.

But back to instrumental music and the bands who do it just right. You’ve got Pelican, Mogwai, MONO, Caspian, Russian Circles, Gifts for Enola and plenty others. Some of those bands, from time to time, will employ some vocals, but those instances are very few and far between. Instead, they use their instruments, the synergy within the band and their emotions to tell a story and keep you tuned in from front to back. It can’t be easy, but considering the number of records I have from the aforementioned, it works for me. Another band along those lines is If These Trees Could Talk, an oddly monikered group from Akron, Ohio, who have perfected the dramatic and cinematic in short order.

Well, the band isn’t exactly new. They’ve been putting out music since their debut EP in 2006, and “Red Forest” is their latest and greatest. And it is their greatest because they’ve never been this in touch with their creativity and their passion. These nine songs are an incredible ride through your senses, a chance to soar on high and take deep breaths of air as you fly over the world in an out-of-body state. These songs never fail to grab me by the heart and pull me back up for more. Their melodies are surging and melodic, their stories are filled with drama, and their atmosphere is rich and colorful. This quintet hits on everything they try, and even though some of their songs can be kind of lengthy, you never feel like you’re being taken up too long.

The band – guitarists Jeff Kalal, Cody Kelly, and Michael Socrates, bassist Tom Fihe, and drummer Zach Kelly – really bring everything to life on this record. I can’t say enough about how strong and memorable the melodies are, and the guitar lines just stick in your head the way a great chorus would. After a fairly ambient, introductory “Open,” the band launches into “The First Fire,” a true mouthful of juicy shoegaze and post-metal fire. “Barren Lands of the Modern Dinosaur” feels somber and sorrowful for most of its run, eventually trickles like a stream, and ends in a blast. “They Speak With Knives” gets a little heavier and thunderous, as they allow themselves to get properly unhinged; the title cut is similar and has just a killer melodic spine running through it. That track is my favorite on the record by far. “Left to Rust and Rot” also goes for your vulnerable side and achieves a nice, wind-gusted setting with the rich slide guitar work; and the epic closer “When the Big Hand Buries the Twelve” ties the whole thing in a gigantic bow, sending this amazing record out on a high note.

If These Trees Could Talk should be in the collection of every fan of the aforementioned instrumental bands. They all share the same DNA and ability to connect, and this band should become one of the go-to acts for those of us who love this stuff. This has been in constant rotation for me since receiving the promo, and it’s not leaving my ears anytime soon. Movies and TV barely cut it for me anymore, so I need a band like this so I can dream up great adventures for myself.

For more on the band, go here: http://www.ifthesetreescouldtalk.com/

To buy the album, go here: http://www.scienceofsilence.limitedpressing.com/

For more on the label, go here: http://www.scienceofsilence.net/