Gone Again
Freighted with themes of death and redemption, this is a deliriously challenging, deeply rewarding return by one of the immortals. The title track and the single "Summer Cannibals" are the lone upbeat rockers amid an artfully low-key, frequently folk-based collection of campfire poetics ("Ravens," "Dead to the World"), Old Testament testifying (the Dylan-esque "Wicked Messenger"), and bittersweet laments ("Farewell Real," "Beneath the Southern Cross"). The album's two epics ("About a Boy," "Fireflies") are fascinating, but it's the achingly gorgeous "My Madrigal" that speaks best of Smith's maturity and questing spirit.--Jeff Bateman