When the Grails released the compendium of their Black Tar Prophecies EPs in a single-CD volume -- two had previously been issued on vinyl only, the third was released only as part of the collection -- they found themselves exploring new and varied sonic territory. They moved away from the early post-rock schematics that had landed them in a seemingly inescapable sonic furrow. Black Tar Prophecies was their strongest recording to date. Hot on its heels, just months later, comes this behemoth of swirling, free-floating, mysterious psychedelia but it certainly doesn't end there. Elements of Eastern modal folk music, improvisational and African polyrythms, ambient soundscapes and layered textures of various "other" instruments such as guest Dylan Rice-Leary's harmonica, Cory Gray's baritone horn, and Kate O'Brien's violin add to the free-for-all while the Grails contribute enough of their own strangeness. Skin man and main keyboardist Emil Amos (who worked with Jandek as a drummer for a minute and became half of the Om duo) also plays melodica, guitarist Zak Riles -- who is part of M. Ward's band as well -- plays oud, banjo and pedal steel, bassist William Slater also plays keys (Rhodes, harpsichord), and guitarist Alex J. Hall does all the sampling. While the opener Soft Temple begins in a subtle enough way with throbbing bass and deep, hollow sounding drums to go along with variously stringed things, it slides into a rather minor-key slither and drone underscored by a piano playing spare lines as a "melody" though it's all mode.

1		Soft Temple[null]
2		More Extinction[null]
3		Silk Rd[null]
4		Drawn Curtains[null]
5		Outer Banks[null]
6		Dead Vine Blues[null]
7		Origin-ing[null]
8		Burning Off Impurities[null]