Widowers

The wait has definitely been worthwhile for this debut. Widowers spent months painstakingly and passionately recording the eleven-track opus in its own Opponent Processor Studios, and the efforts have paid off. While most of the songs on this inaugural effort will be familiar to anyone who has caught the act's highly lauded live shows, the recorded versions carry a whole different range of moods, from melancholy to manic. Even some of the older songs, such as "Bone Collecting Ghost" and "Blackout Bastard Sons," have a fresh sound that blends Mike Marchant's Beach Boys-inspired pop with psychedelic textures and lush layers of guitars, vocals and electronics. Marchant and drummer Cory Brown did most of the studio magic themselves, but gorgeous playing from guitarist Davey Hart, keyboardist Mark Shusterman and bassist Mark Weaver add immeasurably to the record's shimmering, bittersweet atmosphere — like watching a sunrise refracted through your tears after a nice, long night of slow dancing.