Mount Eerie Ocean Roar

The companion to May's Clear Moon, Ocean Roar is an album filled with minimalism that's anything but, drone that rarely does and folk that might not be. The metallic sensibilities explored fully on Wind's Poem continue to linger, with walls of guitars and distant production lending to the unsettling sense that something unnerving is hiding behind even the most beautiful of melodies. Much like how the first of two instrumentals weaves sharp guitar strikes through almost funereal chords on the piano, "I Walked Home Beholding" rides its synths amidst cymbals crashing through the calm like waves on a fading sunset. From the opening minutes of "Pale Lights" onward, Ocean Roar proves to be a cinematic experience that's good more often than not. (P.W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd.)