When I first saw the name of this band, coupled with the record label that this is on ( "States' Rights" ), I had myself a quiet giggle. Could it possibly be that this was some sort of white supremacist southern racist rock? Had the evil robot in charge of doling music out to us writer drones finally cracked and sent me something I could really sink my teeth into, something that nobody in the Halo-17 readership would get annoyed at if I got really, really vicious in my review? It was starting to screw with my head, at least until I actually gave this a spin.

As it turns out, I don't need to think of shenanigans in the top offices of Halo-17 to warp my mind, as the music contained within this album will do that nicely enough. In what has to be some of the most bizarre music that I've ever heard, this album is largely a recital of some love letters by none other than Adam Forkner, who has played with, among others, Devendra Banhart and Dirty Projectors. If listening to some guy's love letters (which don't contain any really juicy or salacious bits, incidentally) doesn't exactly sound compelling, you're probably right, but there is a little bit more depth to this album than that.

There's precious little actual playing here though, and song structure is almost completely absent. What we have instead is Forkner mumbling his way through his letters, backed up by ethereal swells of keyboard and guitar in the background. The letters themselves are almost hopelessly naïve, but in a strange sort of way, they complement the music that Forkner has composed here.

The music is really the only thing here that is possibly going to keep your attention, and in places it actually works. Gilded Golden Ladies, for instance, has some mesmerising drumming and swells of gorgeous guitar squall. Germany has the pounding beat of classic Krautrock, and How High A Ridge I Could Not Tell has some nice musical textures to it, sounding almost like quiet shoegaze in places.

Still, your acceptance of this album will probably depend on just how much quiet ambience you can put up with. As a piece of art, this is a very nice piece, but as an actual selection of music, it's a bit unfulfilling. Still more fun than an album full of racist punk rock though.