I've never been a fan of trumpets in rock music. While the instrument swims in the steady swagger of jazz, modern music's disapproving grandfather, it seems to drown in rock's distorted waters. That said, Tenki seem to make the combination work... occasionally. "Molotov", a combat rock-ready song teamed with vocals that fall somewhere in Built to Spill's realm, boasts a muted, prohibition-era trumpet that acts as a sweet complement to the song's pulsing pace. However, five tracks later, another trumpet stumbles into the last refrain of the beautiful Beatles-via-Modest-Mouse lament "Red Baby" -- and, like the wrong words uttered on a tension-filled first-date, it ruins the experience.

From the subtle "Rolling" to the clamoring "On Such A Day", each of Red Baby's tracks stand as well-constructed musical thoughts...until the trumpet steps in. I bet if Tenki returned to the studio and removed all the trumpet tracks, they'd find themselves with a stirring and powerful album, stronger for the lack of brass instrumentation colliding with the already dynamic sound. Don't get me wrong; I'm a fan of the trumpet. I'm not, however, a fan of anything that detracts from an otherwise incredible album -- and in Tenki's case that detractor happens to have three valves, a bell and a mouthpiece.