by Ken Taylor K.C. Accidental's Anthems for the Could've Bin Pills is an instrumental exploration into sonic bliss led by Do Make Say Think's Kevin Drew and collaborator Charles Spearin. Lonely, plucked-out guitar chords mingle and crash over brooding and wistful brush drumming while found sounds flood the backfields with white noise that both thickens and directs the mix of instrumental wanderings. Reminiscent of Low's Songs for a Dead Pilot or Godspeed You Black Emperor!'s softer, less foreboding compositions, Anthems for the Could've Bin Pills seems equally as bleak in theme but, as the angelic vocals of Emily Haines may suggest, sounds somewhat more hopeful. Tracks like "Ruined in 84" recall certain elements of New Order -- the title perhaps clueing the listener in to this connection. At times, the record treads dangerously close to actionless territory and seems to drift about with little intention, but without warning it can pull listeners back in, as if testing their perseverance and rewarding them at the end. Soft and melodious, Anthems is a beautiful creation of wavy, electronic ambiance and swirling acoustic performance. And these gentle noise maelstroms make the record a truly subtle and elegant debut.