All-instrumental locals Chef Menteur remind me of what the Flaming Lips or Radiohead would sound like if they silenced their plaintive lead singers, finally doing away with any pop preconceptions. It is tough to recommend a separate track on We Await Silent Tristero’s Empire, as the entire CD works as a singular performance. Chef Menteur’s brand of extended prog-rock jams will likely garner comparisons to Pink Floyd and King Crimson, but even those legendary bands’ albums famous for their lengthy excesses can’t hold a candle to the monolith that is We Await Silent Tristero’s Empire. Sure, half of the CD’s tracks are under five minutes, but they could be spliced together as longer pieces, as they tend to run into and complement each other. Of course, this says nothing about the music itself, which is at turns breathtaking, ominous, and downright harrowing. Most of it sounds like the score to an odd indie sci-fi film, especially the foreboding “Caverns of the White Widow” and “W.A.S.T.E.,” the best track and the only thing resembling a dance number here. Its alternation between sunshine-drenched acoustic guitars and minimalist, computerized beats sound like one of Brian Wilson’s nightmares. Some of the longer numbers, though, could have been either shortened or changed up to prevent monotony. This is especially true of the 17-minute closer “Io,” which mostly sounds like a symphony orchestra tuning up. Nevertheless, for the most part, this empire is one worth waiting for.