November
Sometimes being immersed in melancholy can be irresistible; there's the deep pull of lingering in a state of wistful romantic sorrow. The music of Azure Ray acts as a blanket, enveloping the listener in the comforts of the sad and the beautiful. Formerly of ecstatic popsters Little Red Rocket, Orenda Fink and Maria Taylor have eschewed volume for a softness that is stunning in its fragility and intensity. Hinting at feathery 4AD output, Azure Ray fortify their lonely-heart sounds with songwriting that builds upon the already potent atmospherics. The vocals are whispery and fluid, accompanied by piano, cello, guitar, and bowed bass. Surprises abound as well; a left-field cover of country great Townes Van Zandt's "For the Sake of the Song" is incredibly poignant, and on "No Signs of Pain" there is an edgy tension, heightened by steel-drum clanging and tribal percussion. Closing with the near gospel of "Other Than This World," one is left feeling uplifted and cuddled by this warm and sensual record.--Andy Waltzer