Finklestein

As a solo artist, was the opposite of prolific for many years. He worked a bunch with the legendary band starting in the '80s, recorded with , and did things here and there after that, but until 2014's , the venerable drummer had yet to release an album under his own name. The lo-fi strum pop delights of his debut were winning enough to make another album desirable, and obliged in 2018 with . Based around a story that would tell his son about an imaginary king and his kingdom, the album was made over a year's time with his musical cohort of . Given the time taken and the freedom of having your partner own a studio, the album has an unrushed charm as it unspools slowly and mysteriously. isn't telling a story as much as creating a mood with the songs, and to that end the arrangements are spacious and filled with a wide array of instruments and sounds like saxophone, pedal steel, vibraphone, and footsteps. Tracks like "Strange Angel" and the loping "Hayride" have a meandering, introspective feel; the instrumentals are quiet and drifting; there is plenty of reverb-soaked gunk stuck to the minor-key psych-folk melodies on rambling tunes like "Flip Top Suitcase"; and songs like "Whistle Stop" and "Gold" sound like tracks dunked in paisley and left out in the sun to warp. It's an unassuming record, but after spending a little time letting the music sink in, it reveals some depth and resonance. has found a perfect collaborator in , and the duo have crafted a lovely follow-up to . ~ Tim Sendra