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(08/11/11 10:27pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In this reviewer’s opinion, Pavement was the best band of the 1990s.
If there was one band that could give them a run for their money,
though, it was Archers of Loaf. Well, maybe Nirvana or Sonic Youth, too.
This reissue of their 1994 debut album, “Icky Mettle,” proves just how formidable they were.
Apparently I’m not the only one who sees a similarity between the bands.
Robert Christgau mentions it in his liner notes for the reissue.
But the Archers were always darker than Pavement was ever willing to get and usually a bit more fierce.
It’s strange to think that “Icky Mettle,” in all its greatness, is out of step with current trends.
Indie music is mostly focused on danceability and synthesizers right now, and this album is unabashed guitar music.
When the music and vocals kick into overdrive on the back half of “You
& Me” after being nearly silent for an entire minute, it’s like a
shot to the gut — which is strangely pleasant, believe it or not.
Right from the first track, “Web in Front,” it’s obvious that an important band has arrived.
A line like “You’re not the one who let me down, / But thanks for
offering” seems to drip with cynicism. But the song as a whole sounds
disarmingly sincere.
Many of the songs on “Icky Mettle” end up sounding similar, but that’s not a criticism.
There’s no need to change something if it’s not getting old.
However, “Sick File” is a nice, stylistic diversion where the band sounds more like Black Flag than Pavement.
In case you’re someone who started listening to good music after the 90s
ended: Do yourself a favor, and go back to “Icky Mettle.”
It’s worth it.
By Brian Marks
(08/11/11 10:08pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>We love when music has an interesting or romantic story accompanying it. Something about creating under special circumstances infuses the music with an undercurrent of inevitability, as if its fruition was fate.Perhaps Jürgen Müller’s “Science of the Sea” benefits from its strange circumstances, but the music is ultimately what makes this release worth examining.“Science of the Sea” had its genesis in 1979 when Müller accompanied a crew filming an aquatic exploration. Müller was fascinated by the sea and began to create an album of synthesized music based on his interpretation of aquatic environments. Although Müller hoped to use his music to score films, his career never really took off. “Science of the Sea” was the only album he ever completed.Fast forward to the present when one of the 100 copies of the album made its way to a record company, leading to its reissue. It’s obvious from the album’s first notes that Müller owes a great debt to Brian Eno’s instrumental works — perhaps more to “Music for Films” than “Music for Airports.” Like those scores for imagined films, these pieces score sea documentaries that have never existed. Using old-fashioned synthesizers — a trend that’s currently in resurgence — Müller creates the sensation of gently flowing water and languorous jellyfish. Perhaps Müller’s vision of the sea is a bit idealized, as none of these tracks depict any ruthlessness; but it’s easily forgivable and still a fascinating journey.Too bad no one heard “Science of the Sea” in its heyday because a few more albums like this wouldn’t hurt.
(08/04/11 6:30pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Small statement, big expectations Album: ”Just Once” EPArtist: How to Dress WellHow to Dress Well, the stage name of Tom Krell, originated with a series of EPs released on his blog.It has since spawned an excellent full-length album. Now Krell returns with “Just Once,” a four-track EP.Although it doesn’t approach the scope of the previous album, “Just Once” finds Krell experimenting with new instrumentation..The previous full-length, “Love Remains,” was lo-fi to the extreme. The songs were filled with digital clippings and fuzz. I have a feeling this ultra-messy approach was a choice not out of necessity. However, it didn’t obscure Krell’s haunting voice or the unabashed romanticism of the songs.On “Just Once,” Krell has subtracted much of the meat from the album. Now the songs are filled with piano and string quartets. The addition of the quartet in particular is a gutsy move. It would have been so easy for the strings to have sounded silly and syrupy; but instead, they lie along a lower, darker register. It sounds considerably mature and not at all like any top-40 radio ballad.The first three tracks are all called “Suicide Dream,” although they have little in common. Two of the versions have previously been released, and one is a new addition. The final track, “Decisions,” brings back some of the beats that used to be absent. It sounds like they were created with an actual drum, although it’s too lo-fi to really tell. The “Suicide Dream” tracks serve as a somewhat morose opener, but “Decisions” closes the EP out on a hopeful note.“Just Once” is a relatively small statement from How to Dress Well. However, it shows the project evolving beyond its original sound. It’ll be interesting to see whether Krell ultimately cleans up his sound or if he sticks with what he knows.
(07/29/11 11:04pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“Friends With Benefits” is strangely familiar. It seemed like I had seen the movie before. Well, I sort of have seen it. “No Strings Attached” from earlier this year had basically the same story. But where that film failed to be both funny and interesting, “Friends With Benefits” largely succeeds.Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis play two ridiculously successful and attractive people — a stretch they pull off. Kunis is a headhunter, who just talked Timberlake into bringing his skills from a successful blog to GQ.Timberlake and Kunis are both witty and vivacious. They drop quite a few jokes that are funny solely because of how well they’re constructed, not because they are gross or ridiculous. “No Strings Attached” relied on Ashton Kutcher as a childish fool and Natalie Portman as someone so introverted that she was incapable of being interesting.“Friends With Benefits” is also interesting in how it addresses gender issues. Mila Kunis is given just as many funny lines as Timberlake. She often gets to do the male-stereotyped behaviors along with him. Perhaps this is a new trend following on the heels of “Bridesmaids.”Although “Friends With Benefits” manages to be fun and relatively smart, it still has some major failings. Woody Harrelson is funny as Timberlake’s gay friend, but his character never developed. His only purpose is to continually remind us that he’s gay. Though the film also mostly avoids cheesiness, it occasionally worms its way back in. Someway, somehow, “Friends With Benefits” avoids the usual failings with this genre. It’s a worthwhile example of how these romantic comedies can succeed.
(07/29/11 10:38pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Hipsters, beware. This is a metal review. Many people write off the genre completely — and occasionally their repulsion is justified. However, Megadeth’s classic, “Peace Sells...But Who’s Buying?” is an album that deserves to be heard by the nonmetal aficionado.Originally released in 1986, “Peace Sells” is in the company of classic albums from other thrash metal bands like Metallica, Anthrax and Slayer. It was a great period for metal when these bands were producing albums that were heavier than anything imaginable, intricate and ambitious. Unfortunately, when some of these bands tried to focus on serious subjects, they ended up sounding a little silly.Megadeth, on the other hand, was like a breath of fresh air. They mix just enough humor into their songs to show their wit. The title track is suffused with late Cold War paranoia, but Dave Mustaine’s snarling delivery prevents the subject from dragging the song down. The band further diversifies their sound on “I Ain’t Superstitious,” an old Willie Dixon song with a bit of a blues feel. It’s a nice stylistic detour that lifts the album’s mood before the final track comes thundering through.The 25th anniversary version of this album is newly remastered, and the improvement is noticeable and worthwhile. Although the volume has been increased, it doesn’t sound overly compressed. The bass is more prominent, and little details that were originally lost now pop out. A second disc of concert performances from 1987 is included, and while it’s perhaps not essential to the neophyte, the sound is relatively good, and the performances are excellent.“Peace Sells” is an album that won’t necessarily turn off beginners and if you’re looking for music that will always rock, check it out.
(07/21/11 8:25pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Despite being one of the vanguards of chillwave, Washed Out has very little recorded presence to speak of. Previously, they only had a few EPs to their name. That all changes with “Within and Without,” their first long-player and the band’s strongest effort yet.Washed Out is essentially the solo project of Ernest Greene. His music is bass-heavy, but never gets weighed down in the muck. Nearly every song he has created is instantly danceable, even if the production is sometimes shoddy. On his previous release, the excellent “Life of Leisure” EP, the cruddy sound sometimes got in the way of enjoying the tracks.The vocals would stutter at each drum beat in an obnoxious way, and subtle keyboard additions were often lost in the mix.“Within and Without” features considerably better production than its predecessor. The songs are cleaned up enough to expose the diverse textures without ever becoming cold or sterile. It’s immediately obvious there isn’t a bad song on this album. If nothing sticks out quite as much as some of the tracks on “Life of Leisure,” that’s just because there is so much excellent material to sift through. Still, “Before” and “You and I” manage to function as dual centerpieces for the album.The latter track was originally released as a single for Adult Swim and now finds a home on the album proper.Washed Out’s stature among fans has been continually rising, and the new album may be their ticket to real success. It’s hard to think of people who won’t like this album. There may be a few, but “Within and Without” is still a safe bet.
(07/21/11 7:39pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Releasing a new album must be an incredibly stressful ordeal for someone like Brian Eno, whose latest album will always be compared to the classic works he created in the 1970s and 80s. Remarkably, Eno has managed to overcome that pressure with “Drums Between the Bells.” “Drums” is almost certainly going to be labeled “that spoken-word album,” and it’s not a completely inaccurate description. Eno uses the words of poet Rick Holland to accompany his songs, but they’re not treated as standard poetry recitations. Instead, Eno processes many of the vocals to make them sound robotic and distanced. He even occasionally manipulates the pitches of the words to create an artificial form of singing.The album opens with “Bless This Space,” which finds Eno intoning disconnected words over a surprisingly jazzy and funky track. It’s one of the more active and fun songs Eno has written in recent years. The album quickly changes its mood with “Glitch,” which is based around computerized beats. The song is pulled off well here, but later attempts at writing beats feel dated. If the album misses, it’s because it treats the words secondary to the music. Perhaps if Eno hadn’t played around with the voices so much, Rick Holland’s work might have been more approachable. Instead, much of the poetry gets lost in the mix. Still, “Drums Between the Bells” is a strong album and works well with last year’s excellent “Small Craft on a Milk Sea.” It’s nice to see Brian Eno trying his hand again at something resembling songs.
(07/08/11 6:14pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>You could be forgiven for thinking New Orleans rapper Curren$y just appeared out of thin air. Last year saw the release of two excellent “Pilot Talk” albums, he’s released two more albums this year with another in the can and has planned a third installment of “Pilot Talk.” Even with all that activity, there’s no creative let up on “Weekend at Burnie’s.”Curren$y’s album is probably the best publicity “Weekend at Bernie’s” has gotten since “The Office” referenced it, but thankfully the reference is confined to the title. The lyrics are confined to standard rap themes: money, fancy cars, the multiple women who want to have sex with you.Curren$y doesn’t bother to delve into anything particularly deep. Instead he focuses on cultivating a more playful atmosphere. Key to that atmosphere is the excellent production. The songs have an attraction that goes beyond lyrics alone. Two-thirds of the songs are produced by Monsta Beatz, who utilizes synthesizers and a bass that occasionally sounds like a human being might have played it to create a textured and full-bodied sound. It’s refreshing, especially if you’re used to rap songs with harsh, minimalist beats. The focus on synths also works well with the current resurgence of synth-pop.Curren$y is often in danger of rapping too much about how often he likes to get high. Luckily, “Weekend at Burnie’s” manages to divert enough of the focus to the music and away from the occasionally juvenile lyrics to make a strong statement: Curren$y seems to be able to turn out a seemingly endless stream of strong albums.
(06/24/11 6:16pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For the uninitiated Neil Young fan, it’s important to know that the 80s were a time of stylistic upheaval for him. His latest release, “A Treasure,” is a series of live performances from 1984-85.If you didn’t know that Young could be credited with creating grunge and garage rock, these performances might make you think he was always a country musician. He never relies on caricature to replicate the country sound. Part of that is due to his excellent backing band, The International Harvesters. The group is as tight as any of his other bands; tighter, actually, considering that Crazy Horse is known for being gloriously sloppy. Those stereotypical country instruments, the fiddle and the pedal steel guitar, never take over the mix.Part of what makes “A Treasure” so frustrating, aside from its silly name, is that Young offers tantalizing glimpses at what the album could have sounded like if he had been interested in rocking a little bit harder. On the final track, “Grey Riders,” he lets loose some electric guitar with plenty of feedback, creating more energy on the one song than the rest of the album combined. As good as the performance is, it upstages the rest of the rather laid back material. Perhaps that’s just a problem with song selection: the album is a compilation of songs from that tour, not a full concert.Ultimately, “A Treasure” will help to legitimize Young’s unruly 80s period, but it’s unlikely to convert any new listeners.
(06/24/11 5:59pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The American Dream. People used to think it had something to do with the freedom to prosper in this country, or knowing that your children could be more prosperous than you were. Those people were wrong.The American Dream is about making as much money as possible, regardless of who you have to screw over, then spending that money on the coolest gizmos available. Here are a few paths to choose from that lead to success:One way to make a gajillion dollars (a technical term) is to contribute to American culture and the humanities in a meaningful way. That means becoming an artist whose vision lends commentary and inspires global and self-awareness. Obviously this is the dumbest way to make money, as it requires creativity and a soul.Another option is to pursue a career that reliably makes a lot of money, like those of doctors and lawyers.Unfortunately, these careers require long schooling and maybe even some intellectual curiosity. So they’re really not worth the effort.The best and final option is to secure any kind of Wall Street related career that generates an obscene salary off the misfortune of others. There’s nothing more economical than maximizing profits and minimizing effort and ethics.However, you achieve the American Dream — and if you didn’t succeed, that means you just weren’t trying hard enough, you bum — the next step is to take that wealth and frivolously spend it on yourself.Start with cars because this is America, damnit. Get rid of that Taurus and replace it with 11 inefficient imported sports cars. When your fellow citizens get turned away from the gas station because you’ve emptied all the reserves out to fill up your fleet, they’ll be left admiring your consumerism. Blast some Lee Greenwood while you’re driving away, just so everyone can recognize how well you’re living the dream.Next, replace all of your electronics with top of the line products. I recommend Apple because everyone will know you spent a lot once they see that really cool logo. You’ll also need hedge sculptures. You’re nobody until you have hedge sculptures.There are a million other things you need to buy to fulfill the American Dream, but in the interest of time I’ll cut it short and leave one last piece of wisdom: It’s not what you buy with your unearned money that counts, but how many people know that you bought it.
(06/13/11 9:58pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Woods are on quite a creative streak. Their newest album, “Sun and Shade,” is perhaps the strongest album in an impressive discography.The first track, “Pushing Onlys,” at first suggests that Woods will be focusing on honing their pop music skills. The track is so sunny and melodic that it practically demands a sing-a-long. That mood does not last long, though. By the album’s fourth track, “Out of the Eye,” the feel of the album has darkened significantly. The track is a seven-minute jam that sounds quite a bit like Neu!’s “Hallogallo.” In addition to the Krautrock influences, the song is also reminiscent of Wilco’s “Spiders (Kidsmoke).” The album oscillates between lighter and darker moods up to the point where the title, “Sun and Shade,” seems quite apt. The album features another long jam a few tracks later. These have become commonplace on Woods’ albums, but the longer tracks are superior to many of the attempts on previous albums. The band seems more concerned with developing an actual song instead of just letting loose with some tape manipulation and acid guitar parts. The band has also decreased the amount of tape hiss used compared to previous albums. They still retain a very warm sound, but now the instruments and vocals have a clarity that wasn’t a certainty in the past. Although occasionally challenging, “Sun and Shade” is a rewarding album. They haven’t abandoned experimentation, but rather mixed it with more conventional pop influences.
(06/13/11 9:43pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Eddie Vedder, the Pearl Jam frontman, has released an album that will confuse and astound his listeners. Eschewing the use of a band — or even a rock staple, the guitar — Vedder has recorded an album using little more than a ukulele. It’s a strange and unfortunate choice. There may be some gems hidden away on “Ukulele Songs,” but they are disguised by the minimal instrumentation. Some of these songs sound like they could be real rockers like the opening track, “Can’t Keep.” Others would be more suited to the more expressive guitar (“More Than You Know.”) A lot of this album’s problems can be attributed to the damned ukulele.Vedder’s endless strumming patterns are overly repetitive. With 16 songs that sound pretty similar, minus two that are less than a minute, they all end up blending together. At slightly over 34 minutes, the album is quite short, yet it still feels too long.Only once does Vedder steer clear of the stereotypical ukulele playing. “Satellite,” a charming little ballad, benefits from a delicate, arpeggiated style. Vedder tries to replicate the ballad’s success on other tracks, but the gruffness of his voice then clashes too much with the fragile ukulele sound.The greatest achievement of “Ukulele Songs” is reminding listeners that instrumentation and arrangement really matter. Maybe some of these songs will end up being performed by Pearl Jam, or at least in some form that doesn’t involve a solo ukulele.
(06/02/11 9:39pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“The Hangover Part II” is the ultimate tribute to laziness.
The creators of this film have essentially redone the first film while
merely changing the scenery, so don’t expect anything new from “Part
II.”
The “wolfpack” is back, with Ed Helms as jumpy as ever, Bradley Cooper
at his jerkiest and Zach Galifianakis dialing up the crazy.
There’s another wedding; this time it is Ed Helms’ character getting married.
The only other difference between this film and the first film is that it takes place in Thailand.
As expected, the guys are once again drugged, do a bunch of crazy things
and lose a member of their group. This time the one who goes missing is
Helms’ brother-in-law to be. Their friend Doug is not included — he
must be a real buzz kill.
The creators of this film seem to be aware that they haven’t created
anything new, so their solution is just to make everything more extreme.
Instead of losing a tooth, now Helms’ wakes up with a Mike Tyson-style
facial tattoo.
Where the nudity was mostly isolated to a single penis, there are now two of them (one of which is quite a surprise).
Nobody lost any major body parts in the first film, so now someone has
to lose a finger. And a human baby just won’t cut it for this film; a
little monkey with a bad smoking habit is all that will suffice.
The defenders of this film will use a single argument in its favor: it was funny, therefore it must be good.
Yes, “The Hangover Part II” is funny, Galifianakis in particular. He is
the only element carrying many of the scenes. Unfortunately, the film
never really amounts to anything beyond cheap thrills. There are a lot
of people who want nothing more than to laugh at a movie; maybe this
will be the best thing they’ve seen all year.
The film does get a few things right. Bradley Cooper turns down his
douchebag meter, and Ed Helms takes over the real center of the film.
But those are small improvements adrift in a sea of stale jokes.
The first “Hangover” film was original and hilarious, mostly because it
was something that hadn’t been done before. If only the creators of
“Part II” had tried to create something equally innovative. It doesn’t
look like they were that interested, so why should the audience be?
(05/26/11 10:08pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Kate Bush just can’t come out with a steady stream of music. It’s been nearly six years since her last album, and that one came after a 12-year hiatus. On “Director’s Cut,” Bush hasn’t even released any new music; instead, she has redone some of her old songs. Although, it remarkably all works.The songs on “Director’s Cut” are culled from 1989’s “The Sensual World” and 1993’s “The Red Shoes.”Both albums are quite good, but “The Red Shoes” doesn’t have the solid reputation of “The Sensual World.”Bush’s first order of business is to remove the 1980’s rim shots of doom. They are replaced with much more tasteful (and life-like) drumming. Those synthesizer parts are also toned down, which isn’t always wise. Synths have made their way back into the hands of cool indie bands, some of whom are undoubtedly influenced by Bush, so she could probably stand to use the synthesizers now.Some tracks even have new vocals added in. The majority of the album is devoted to “Red Shoes” songs, which might seem like a strange choice since it’s the weaker album. However, Bush has only selected the best songs from that release, and they need updating more than “Sensual World” tracks. “Rubber Band” from that album is transformed from something reeking of ‘80s production to something that sounds a bit like The Beatles’ “Get Back.” Ultimately, the “Director’s Cut” versions may become the preferred versions of these songs.
(05/26/11 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The concept album is nothing new; it’s been around since at least 1966 with The Mothers of Invention’s “Freak Out!” Now, Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi have attempted something new amongst concept albums: a film soundtrack for a film that does not exist.“Rome: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack” initially sounds like something Ennio Morricone might have written if he had developed an interest in funk. Although the majority of the album is devoted to instrumentals, Jack White and Norah Jones are credited as its stars. It’s a strange, but ultimately appropriate pairing. White’s voice is aggressive and always on the brink of cracking, while Jones’ voice is smoky and dark.Remarkably, the many instrumental tracks are not just fillers between the songs with vocals, but instead are fully fleshed out. Choruses intone wordless melodies in place of the whistling parts of a Morricone score.Unfortunately, though, “Rome” avoids being just a novelty. It has nothing that will last the test of time. The strange concept behind the album will most likely prevent it from sticking in anyone’s memory.For the time being, however, it’s still worth stepping into this imaginary Western.
(04/28/11 12:34am)
Hey, wait a minute...it's not November!
(04/27/11 10:46pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After the attention-grabbing “BiRd-BrAiNs,” tUnE-yArDs has returned with “w h o k i l l,” an album that far exceeds the achievements of its predecessor.I have to admit that I didn’t care for the first album, with its bare textures and annoying digital clipping. “w h o k i l l” expands the palette; the band, which previously only featured Merrill Garbus, has now added Nate Brenner on bass and other musicians. The album finally feels like it was made by an actual band, and Brenner’s bass lines are a funky counterpoint to Garbus’ ukulele and androgynous voice, which is soothing one moment and manic the next.The production on this album finds a perfect middle ground between sterility and warmth, exemplified on the first track, “My Country.” The song begins with a bit of staticky spoken word, setting the listener up for an album of crackly lo-fi music. Instead, the band’s expanded sound blasts through the speakers. It’s a revelatory moment.“w h o k i l l” is not only a great example of a band’s maturation, but also a great album on its own.
(04/27/11 9:58pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“Rabbit Hole,” based on the play by David Lindsay-Abaire, observes a married couple’s grief as they try to overcome the death of their young son. It’s an often poignant film that never exploits its audience’s tear ducts.Nicole Kidman plays Becca, and her husband Howie is played by Aaron Eckhart. These two actors have gotten a bad reputation in the past — Kidman for acting in box office failures and Eckhart for always being too snarky. Here they are nuanced and realistic.As Kidman’s marriage begins to fall apart due to her inability to resume living normally, she sees a mysterious boy who fascinates her. It turns out that he is the person who (accidentally) killed her child. She meets him on a park bench and realizes that a person who never knew her son can also be filled with grief.Despite the sadness of a child’s death, “Rabbit Hole” finds plenty of humor in the absurdities of life after loss. Few films have ever approached the subject as well.
(04/27/11 7:43pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“Kes,” one of the greatest British films ever made, has never had an American DVD release. Forty-one years after the film’s release, it’s about time.“Kes” tells the story of Billy Casper, whose life no one would envy. The 15-year-old goes to a school for children with little hope of going to a university or getting a good job. His brother is bitter from working in a mine, and he relentlessly abuses Billy, verbally and physically. His teachers, with one exception, are no better.Billy’s only refuge from crushing poverty is a kestrel that he catches and trains. The bird offers a respite from the dreariness of the film, created using only natural light.Most of the film’s actors are nonprofessionals, yet they never look like deer in headlights. David Bradley, who plays Billy, is fascinating. He is never overly childish or mature, as many child actors are.Despite his time with the kestrel, Billy is not destined to escape his working-class background. “Kes” refuses to pull any punches.
(04/21/11 1:44am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Panda Bear (Noah Lennox) has some big shoes to fill: his own. His previous album, “Person Pitch,” is widely considered to be one of the best of the 2000s. His newest, “Tomboy,” lives up to expectations.The first track, “You Can Count on Me,” puts a change in tone up front. Where “Person Pitch” was blissful and joyous, this track is more reserved, even sorrowful. The first line is “Know you can count on me,” but you’ll hear “No, you can’t count on me.”Panda Bear leaves many of the samples and sound effects behind, focusing on synthesizers and beats reminiscent of his work with Animal Collective.Although the music tends to be darker, every song features beautiful melodies and carefully layered vocals. Perhaps it’s not music for a party, but then again, few albums with nuance are.“Tomboy” makes a great companion to AC’s “Merriweather Post Pavilion.” That was a day album, full of light and joy. This is a night album, but it’s happy to dabble in the light now and then.