The solo project of Mauro Remiddi, Porcelain Raft was based in New York and then Los Angeles for several years that included the release of 2017's Microclimate. During the three years that he worked on Come Rain, his fourth full-length, Remiddi became a father and moved back to his native Rome, where childhood memories began to inform his songwriting. In contrast to prior releases, which have included the modular synth exercise Silent Speech (2013) in addition to his typically dreamy, fully arranged indie rock material, Come Rain's songs are rooted in piano and classical guitar -- although the final products are occasionally expansive. Remiddi only released the more inward-looking set because they seemed fitting for both the collective isolation and cooperation of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, referring to it as "my rain chant in the time of drought." The album opens with the title track, a cabaret-style arpeggiated piano ballad that pleads "Come rain, come rain/Come down and wash us away." Judiciously placed strings are eventually joined by other instruments, including additional keyboards, guitar, and eerie background vocals, setting an earnest, cautionary tone. It's followed by livelier as well as more jangly, wistful tracks including "The Way Thing Are" and "Out of Time," which eventually adds swirly synths to its bass, drums, and layered rhythm guitar. Both of those songs offer hummable melodies, a trait of much of Porcelain Raft's output, and a major anchor on an album with broadly shifting arrangements. "For a While," for instance, is a quasi guy-and-guitar tune, if a memorable one with its artful mix of picking and strumming on the way to rich, extended chords and lyrics that essentially endorse seizing the day. Elsewhere, Come Rain offers Porcelain Raft's trademark shimmer on tracks like "The Crow & the Rainbow" and "Tall Glass," though the album feels more direct and intimate on the whole. Far from a departure, however, Come Rain should still appeal to fans while possibly serving as an entry point for the more jangle pop-minded. ~ Marcy Donelson, Rovi

1		Come Rain
2		The Way Things Are
3		Out of Time
4		Tall Grass
5		For a While
6		The Crow & the Rainbow
7		If I Was
8		Oglasa

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