On his fifth full-length album, anticon. mainstay Dosh brings us a world of music that has no real use for genre or classification. His typical composition method is based on looping multiple instruments, and his association with his label mates align him with hip hop and electronic music. He also just went on tour with indie-rock violinist Andrew Bird, who also makes an appearance on this album. I imagine others would want to put some sort of post-rock label on him, due to the mostly instrumental nature of the album and the loose song structure and ever-present drums.

The thing is, all of this is true, but none of it really defines Tommy. This is an album that you have to step back and let unfold around you. Ideas will build and grow and break down and come back together, or disappear without a trace. A heavy bass drum establishes a funky hip hop beat, which accompanies Bird’s crooning. Chaotic dissonant keyboards give way to a laid back rolling bass line with a nice shuffle beat.

What really makes Dosh succeed with an album like Tommy is that for all his assemblage of styles, none of it is forced. He’s got a lot of music swimming around in his head, and he just lets it unfold naturally. Sometimes a groove will go on for a while, with ideas slowly building around it. Other times an idea is taken out as quickly as it has been put in. I’m not sure where I’d place this album amongst his other albums, but it’s definitely one of his strongest. It’s a great musical journey that you should just sit back and enjoy.