Over two previous albums, this Seattle-based outfit weren't easy to pigeonhole (alt.country, boho-folk, indie.something?) but were always interesting because of that, not least for singer Peter Quirk's distinctive vocals which were "quirky" for want of a better word. Here, however, they really throw in some visceral, edgy material (the abrasive and tense Black Leaf, the psychedelic spook voodoo of Outer Realms) alongside brooding backwoods menace (Falls where an Appalachian Doors get old time religion and quit town in a hurry) and strange, evocative narratives (Haller Lake). Quirk's singing has become stronger and more tar-coated, the arrangements for small string parts and keyboards are more complex and there are discreet influences from drone music, blues and Middle Eastern melodies alongside their strong core of alt-folk.
Things falter a little around the midpoint (Clever Creatures sounds like Lou Reed gone to Texas, the harmonica-embellished Haystacks you might have heard from the likes of Peter Case and the Waterboys) but the dreamy folk of Distant Sures and unexpected Indo-electronica of Faze Wave redeem things.
An interesting and worthwhile direction from a band which has always been worth hearing and seldom delivers the expected. If they are new to you, here's where you make their strangely compelling acquaintance.
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