13 BLUES FOR THIRTEEN MOONS

Whereas the preceding Horses In the Sky had found A Silver Mt. Zion indulging their catchier, more song-oriented side, 13 Blues For Thirteen Moons sees them tackle another dimension of their sound - their knack for ramshackle, threadbare, falling apart at the seams soundscapes. In fact, not since their first two albums have they got this avant-garde; possibly they were emboldened by positive reactions on the live tour they undertook to develop this material. (I saw them on this tour and they were on excellent form - and are much more cheerful in person than you'd expect). It's not quite their Lift Your Skinny Fists, but with the four major compositions all exceeding 13 minutes they're getting there.