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Heaven
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Barnes and Noble
Heaven
Current price: $13.99
Barnes and Noble
Heaven
Current price: $13.99
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Size: CD
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The sophomore studio effort from the eclectic bay area singer/songwriter,
presents a sizeable shift in fidelity for
, eschewing the warbly, 4-track emissions of his 2015 debut,
, for a mostly sonorous, though no less ramshackle approach that yields some surprising results. While the slacker
-isms and laconic
/
vibe remain omnipresent,
and producer/underground psych legend
(
) have managed to inject more than a little bit of juke joint soul and dreamy retro-pop into the mix, resulting in something that feels almost Twin Peaks-ian -- the reverb-laden title track alone, which takes its moniker from the ghostly ragtime song that plays behind Eraserhead's sashaying lady in the radiator, suggests an affinity for all things
-ian. This predilection toward quasi-mystical/semi-ironic balladry manifests itself most effectively on the two opening cuts, "Well Acquainted" and "The Bullshit Century, Pt. 1," as well as the smoldering "Up the Stream," all three of which find the sweet spot between schmaltz and transcendence. "Modern Music," a feisty mid-album foray into
territory that sees
wrestling with the existential ramifications of turning 30, provides some much-needed muscle to the mix, but that energy starts to deplete as
begins its descent, with cuts like "Terror Management" and the aptly named "Getting Loose" getting lost in their own compositional and sonic eccentricities. Still,
remains a compelling figure throughout; a shambolic beach bum medicine man caught between the sock-hop stylings of
, the good-natured hedonism of
, and the moonstruck mania of
. ~ James Christopher Monger