The darkness that surrounds 's writing always seems to be the focus of scrutiny for every judging ear, be it a professional critic's or an armchair critic's, and for good reason considering the elliptical, image-laden construction of 's banter, but the constant reference to this blanket has almost unjustly glorified the artist into an impossible mystery. What isn't often mentioned is 's ability to fill his music and lyrics with such a brutal and heavy heart that critics are quick to point to his lifestyle on the road, which implies a loner mentality, and his first divorce, which fueled his second album, . When was released in late 2002, it was widely noted in the press that and his second wife, , were the only two musicians on the album and that, between the recording and the release of , the pair had split. The question on everyone's lips seemed to be what the follow-up would sound like and if essentially it would be Devotion + Doubt, Pt. 2. In some ways treads similar ground in that it reflects some serious life change, but the impression leaves implies more a mutual understanding of why the two split rather than the paranoia that filled . Much can be read into the lyrics of and -- and even, depending on how lucid one allows himself to become, the imagery of the artwork depicting two birds, one hovering above a circle and the other a square, flying in opposite directions away from a tree -- but what remains is another release that sounds how has always sounded: grizzly, conceptual, fragmented, brooding, and plaintive. also represents a change in 's business, having moved over to for this release, and back to a larger band (misery loves company?), recalling the approach to his third album, . The band assembled for fits his standard of choosing notable musicians, the most prominent being drummer alum and former bassist for , . The re-emergence of pedal steel in 's sonic nomenclature, played expertly by , further solidifies the connection with while the liberal use of piano and organs hint at the atmosphere of with a bit more ebb and flow in style than what was exhibited on . Naturally the chosen musicians' approach to arrangements are different than previous sidemen, but might best be looked at as 's catalog refined into a clear and cohesive effort with which fans should be very pleased. ~ Gregory McIntosh