Life as the leader of an instrumental indie band must be trying. Existing in obscurity with only a handful of devout followers almost forced Saxon Shore’s Matt Doty to quit altogether and join the corporate rat race. Luckily his muse was too intense to ignore, resulting in The Exquisite Death of Saxon Shore (Burnt Toast), Doty’s ambitious sophomore album created after the band’s original line-up dissolved.

Similar to the epic expanse of compatriots Explosions in the Sky and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, the album is built on tension and release: lush guitar lines, layers of percussion and light synths coalescing into the aural equivalent of a passing spring thunderstorm. With Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips, Sleater-Kinney) at the production helm, Doty’s lush melodies are front and center, making songs like “With a Red Suit You Will Become a Man” and “Marked with the Knowledge” deceptive odes to the ’80s British romantics, silently screaming to score the next John Hughes film. Doty and the new line-up of Saxon Shore will be at Kafe Kerouac on Monday, November 14.

—Kevin Elliott