Azar

For their second album, Athens, Georgia’s Venice is Sinking mine a dreamy patch of bucolic ambient psychedelic folk pop that’s governed by the gentle merging of vocalists Daniel Lawson and Karolyn Troupe. Their voices are often overheard as they swish around in the thick mix that weaves imagistic tone poems over a pastiche of chord organs, pianos, guitars, “damaged machines,” “fun machines,” horns, and whatever else the band can dream up for support. The whir of instrumentation makes for ornate, lush listening, perfect for meditation under headphones, whether it’s the last-dance sway of the appropriately titled “Wetlands Dancehall,” the trippy and fantastic “Okay,” the quiet, tight solemn harmonies of “Charm City,” or the near prog-rock expansion of “Iron Range.” Four instrumental pieces “Azar One…Two…” serve as space breaks for the band to regroup for further melodic discovery. Venice is Sinking take their time and naturally feel as if they are melting into their comfortable and worn surroundings.