Pointless post-rock

Instrumental rock bands seem to run into self-plagiarism problems earlier in their careers than their vocal counterparts.

“Empros,” the fourth Russian Circles LP since 2006, brings several new elements to the band’s sound — the rumbling bass line that stretches through the entirety of opener “309,” the acoustic guitars that characterize the 10-minute “Batu,” the vocals (!) on closing track “Praise Be Man” — but still mostly feels like ground that’s been covered before.

The Chicago trio’s first two albums, “Enter” and “Station,” were somewhat genre-defying, like a logical midpoint between Explosions in the Sky and Isis with more groove than either. If the problem with third full-length “Geneva” was that it was too note-perfect an imitation of those records, “Empros”’s shortcomings are its ill-advised forays outside.

The aforementioned aggressively distorted bass, acoustic guitar and singing are all present, but Russian Circles never convinces us they need to be. Like nearly all of the band’s post-“Station” output, the cuts on “Empros” feel unnecessary.