In the Sun Lines
On Tara Jane O'Neil's second release,In the Sun Lines, all the  skilled recording and mixing of performances by Rachel Grimes  (Rachel's), Samara  Lubelski (the Sonora  Pine), and Dan Littleton and Ida Pearle  (Ida) was handled by  O'Neil herself with impressive dexterity. She pays homage to (or borrows  unabashedly from) the complex songs ofTalk TalkandBrian Eno. Expertly  layering live performance textures, delicate vocals, and shivery instrumental  loops, she creates spacious songs that betray her roots in the super-influential  Louisville bandRodanand  belie her relative newcomer status to the mixing board. O'Neil's music is  incredibly dynamic within its stylistic confines. It seamlessly swells,  crescendos, and recedes, incorporates complex vocal arrangements usually  reserved for Gregorian chant, and so on, but for a more casual listener, it may  never shrug off the oppressive gloominess that colors the record with the  broadest of strokes. While this makes the album too heavy for everyday use, it  certainly makes for great rainy-day music.--Sarah Sternau