- Chris Perren is the busy gent behind classical-alternative crossover outfit Nonsemble, among many other things, including those old post-rockers Mr. Maps. Also, Software Of Seagulls, yet another Perren project, has just popped its debut full-length.

With so many competing interests, it’s intriguing to try and work out where the album, Sunrise Industry, fits into the cycle of styles which turns over in Chris’ work, as those styles consistently melt into each other. As someone so fundamentally interested in the idea of crossing-over, trying to bring the classical and indie worlds together in Nonsemble and -really- most things he does, all this bleed is not surprising and I’m always curious to hear how he splices up his diverse inspirations.

Software Of Seagulls has a lot of electronics in its back-catalogue and this latest release is coming out on Feral Media so you’d be forgiven for expecting some slightly experimental beats. While that’s there, it’s hardly the overriding theme. If anything Sunrise Industry harks back to the post-rock of Mr. Maps. One of the things that I always liked about Mr. Maps was the inherently warm and upbeat quality of their sound, setting them apart from so many of the po-faced serious and dully formulaic post-rockers in the sensitive, white, college student world of music. Software Of Seagulls’ have also name-checked the relentless, synth-laden, post-rock fusion of 65Daysofstatic as a recent influence and you can easily hear the debt to their muscular, but still shimmering and shining heat.

The rollicking beat of the album’s opening and title-track is full of atmospheric warmth and a sense of restrained anticipation. There are touches of the pop-minimalism of Philip Glass, but these really are only touches. The acoustic guitar and increasingly complex rhythm, along with the relatively thickly orchestrated winds more solidly draw on the thoroughly Scandinavian sounds of Jaga Jazzist, something I’m always happy to be reminded of.

The electronics and in particular the editing suite make themselves felt on the more cautious track that follows, Adelaide St.. Jump cuts disorient but give way to layer upon layer of sounds topped by an infectious pound of both kit and electronic beats: we’re properly into that hard fusion rocking.

Perhaps trying to prove that it’s not all warmth and good times, Carve Silence Into Me maxes out on guitar and synth distortion, burying everything else, even the scintillating harmonies trying to sneak over the top; it certainly is a contrast. A sultry violin solo twists through the towering silence that follows on Redundant Array of Independent Worlds, joined by echoing, bluesy guitar chords and a rising wave of ambience that rolls in, like a distant but closing storm.

Funky, synth-rock brings the sound back to that main game in And Yet Dreams: a thrumming display of power worthy of a good Trans Am cut. The specter of the neo-classical appears in angelic piano-chords over the sound of crunching footsteps and backed by even more ghostly guitar-work: very reflective, but making 2am Jungle Gym rather manipulatively winning.

The album closer, Sunset Industry is the most traditional post-rocker of the lot, with its six-minute trajectory into maximally explosive power, but it doesn’t abandon the interesting rhythms or synth sounds, turning a guilty pleasure into a well-rounded finish.

I’m not sure what anyone else was expecting from a Software Of Seagulls record, but if it was this, they’re much more on the ball than I am. It recapitulates many of the themes of Chris Perren’s music -most obviously post-rock and synth-pop- and capitalises on the growing depth of the knowledge and skills collected by he and his compadres. Sunrise Industry gets busy being one of the best post-rock records we’re likely to hear this year.

- Chris Cobcroft.