Barzin

With a title like that, it's guaranteed this isn't going to be a laugh-a-minute kind of record. Indeed, true to his previous releases, Barzin mopes with the best of them, but while this means it isn't particularly exciting, it is quite a graceful and confident record. Barzin conjures up some striking elegiac atmosphere to accompany his "notes," like on "Words Tangled In Blue," where you feel like you're watching a doomed waltz in an empty room. Closer "The Dream Song" is the highlight, where Barzin takes his place amongst the lush whisperers who personify that quiet is the new loud, with the beautiful strings and lone piano rounding out Barzin's smooth voice. Where Bon Iver and others accentuate the cathartic nature of their songs, Barzin tends to draw the listener in with his utter resignation. Essentially, whatever he had, it's gone and here's the sonic reorganization of the mess that was left behind. An admirable effort put together with much care, this is for those with the patience for such slow and intricate moods.