One of the things I love about this band is that I never know what their next record is going to sound like. They normally release one track a month but I always wait until the full album comes out, making the whole thing more of a surprise.

And I must say this is a welcome surprise: I found Volume 2 (I believe it was) to be getting a little too twee for my tastes, and too far from the music they used to make, which first made me interested in them, back when they were in Sleepytime Gorilla Museum.
So I’m glad that this is less twee, less overtly poppy than some of the music they’ve made as Rabbit Rabbit. And some of it is among their most pretty-sounding music, even if it isn’t as readily accessible in the past.

But I must say that I find spoken word pieces boring. I am not familiar with Jump Blue so maybe that’s my problem. But when spoken word is used for setting up the concept… well, I struggle with the concept. I just can’t get myself to pay enough attention to the spoken word pieces. I know I should, but they drift by without me listening and whatever intent they have, I miss.

So I find myself thoroughly enjoying the music but vaguely annoyed that whatever they were trying to convey by involving the woman from Jump Blue couldn’t have been conveyed in song.

7/10

1.  Jump Blue (featuring Tatyana Gessen) 06:25
2. The Blue Abyss 04:25
3. Nanomia Cara 03:21
4. The Ghost King 03:37
5. Tether 05:06
6. Octopolis (featuring Kristin Slipp) 03:02
7. Black Inscription 03:36
8. The Beautiful Math of Coral 04:28
9. Water Is My Blood 03:56
10. Refuge 04:39
11. Whale Fall 04:47
12. Clues (featuring Tatyana Gessen) 01:39
13. Susurrus 05:42
14. Echo and Narcissus 04:31
15. Saline Dreams 05:07

All music written by Matthias Bossi, Jeremy Flower & Carla Kihlstedt, except Susurrus by Jeremy Flower, and Octopolis by Kristin Slipp & Jeremy Flower. All sung lyrics by Carla Kihlstedt except The Blue Abyss and Nanomia Cara by Natalia Molchanova & Carla Kihlstedt, Tether by Matthias Bossi & Carla Kihlstedt, and Susurrus by Hannah Silva. All spoken words by Hannah Silva.