Though this is
A Grave with No Name
's fourth full-length overall, it's only
Alex Shields
' second album recorded in a proper studio. His first, 2013's
Whirlpool
, stripped away much of the static and distortion that engulfed his earlier work;
Feathers Wet, Under the Moon
does away with any lingering lo-fi trappings while adding a surprising, and welcome, twang thanks to a collaboration with
Lambchop
's
Mark Nevers
and a cast of Nashville players (as well as
Shields
' best friend,
Hebronix
Daniel Blumberg
).
Nevers
' glistening production lays
' songs bare but also brings them closer, and the difference between this album and
AGWNN
's previous music is like a lucid dream and a foggy memory.
used to use heroic doses of echo, distortion, and reverb as hauntingly as
the Microphones
; the only nod to his shoegazing roots pops up on the feedback-laden standout "Candle," which is the closest he's ever come to writing an anthem. Much more often,
's bittersweet confessions call to mind
It's a Wonderful Life
-era
Sparklehorse
.
' tremulous tenor sounds uncannily like
Mark Linkous
' on fragile ballads like "Your Ghost, by the Lake" and "I Will Ride a Horse" as well as the heat-shimmer psych-pop of "Orion," where lyrics like "It's too late to trade this kingdom for a cup full of blood" evoke
Linkous
' knack for mixing sweet melodies and disturbing imagery. The preponderance of ghost and horse motifs borders on borrowing too faithfully from the
songbook, but more importantly,
taps into the exquisite way
could find the comfort in being sad. Several of the album's most striking songs use a handful of words to anchor beautifully melancholic music: the bookends "Nursing Home" and "Natural Light" set the album's gentle but dark mood perfectly, while the prickly acoustic arpeggios on "Under the Ice" and swelling strings on "Before the Morning Comes" lend an eeriness that lives up to the band's name (whether it began as a joke or not). Fragile and confessional,
's big changes sound completely natural, resulting in an album that rivals some of
Mercury Rev
,
, and
's finest work. ~ Heather Phares