Earth

This apian-titled album, the third from this Earth reincarnation, finds soundscape supervisor Dylan Carlson re-examining the languorous, twang-laden chords from last year’s Hibernaculum. On board for three of the seven tracks is jazz guitarist Bill Frisell, known for his ambient fuzz tones, which complement Carlson’s lavishly shimmering riffage. Regrettably, most of the songs lean toward soporific drone due to drummer Adrienne Davies’s adherence to exactly the same cadence. "Rise to Glory” has ample country highlights, as do "Miami Morning Coming Down II” and "Engine of Ruin.” "Hung from the Moon” breaks the mould a bit, thanks to Steve Moore’s asynchronous piano plinking, which lifts the song up from its self-imposed morass, and the title track features Carlson’s slo-mo, psychedelic soloing. As innovative as this may seem, most classic rock fans will remember that Pink Floyd experimented with this sound on several ’70s movie soundtracks, after which they departed from said style completely. Earth must embrace change now so as to avoid the same rut and routine on their next album.