Wild

The Inner Banks, a Brooklyn duo that features the husband-and-wife team of Caroline Schutz and David Gould, play an elegant mix of classic folk and pop music wrapped in elaborate and unusual arrangements that turn the music into airy and ethereal productions worthy of shoegazers the world over. Wild is arguably the duo's best album to date, capturing a sound grand and foreboding. The title track and "Box and Clown" open the album, with Schutz's voice providing the "girl" in girl-group pop while the instrumentation seeks untraveled ground. The symphonic piece "Sketch"—with elements of country music (lap steel, fiddle) tucked deep in its synthetic textures—could be the soundtrack to a film where skies open and the universe is explored. Gould holds a master's degree in ethnomusicology, which may partly account for the seamless eclecticism. However, there's nothing academic about the music's appeal. The joy of "Found Holiday," the "White Wedding" riff slyly informing "Ana Peru," and the dreamlike textures of "Unemployment" add up to a rewardingly diverse collection of little symphonies.