Aptos

It was with their fifth studio album that The Moore Brothers stopped getting compared to Guided by Voices and began garnering comparisons to Crosby, Stills & Nash. A relocation from Oakland to forested Grass Valley, Calif., may have had something to do with a more earthy approach to crafting their heady indie folk. “Daughter Feather” opens with sunny melodies bouncing along buoyant rhythms, as Thom and Greg take a multi-layered approach to spreading out their closely sung sibling harmonies. The following title track shows Greg further spinning silky-soft serenades with hushed vocals and lyrics that are both surreal and amorous. The curiously titled “Iraq” finds Thom musing not on the country of the same name but on a female drummer who cathartically hits the skins in a backyard shed. Although The Moore Brothers have never succumbed to the obvious trappings of trends like freak-folk, there are some playfully psychedelic moments in “Variety”—especially in the late-'60s/early-'70s–style chorus, which sometimes recalls Emitt Rhodes' post–Merry-Go-Round solo recordings. “December” radiates a Northern Californian sunflare.