Dosh

Always impressive, Minneapolis’s Martin Dosh presents a multilayered feat with Wolves and Wishes, which would shine brightly even without some intriguing guest stars. An innovative master of percussion who draws rhythms out of songs with complementary instrumentation, Dosh simply lets loose here, attacking this album with a rare, focused abandon. Members of Fog initially augment the dizzying "Don’t Wait for the Needle to Drop” before Dosh’s day job bandleader Andrew Bird spirals in with some carefully mixed violin textures. The result is reminiscent of what Caribou achieved on Andorra, though stripped of the psychedelia. Such mind-altering freedom is more apparent on "Bury the Ghost,” thanks as much to Dosh’s interesting work with drone and melody as to Bonnie "Prince” Billy’s sporadic, primitive wailing. "Kit and Pearle” closes out the A-side in contemplative mystery and human warmth (courtesy of vocals by Dark Dark Dark) but then "Wolves” brings the beat back with a wicked, sax-led groove. With Dosh’s endless range of ideas, there’s simply a lot to love about Wolves and Wishes.