XLR8R

Michael Ramey knows his way around psychedelic epics, even though his expansive Ephemera Blues is built out of songs that rarely last longer than a few minutes. The sunny strum of "Together" nevertheless feels like a good soundtrack for Roman Polanski's Repulsion, while the dual consciousness of "Morning Sun, Mourning Song" unfurls like a primordial chant. Ramey's Golden Death Music avatar has a way with media: A lengthy insert featuring compelling art from Lido Pimienta illustrating postmodern fables and folklore–"The Parable of the Discontented Gear" is a great one–fleshes out its architect's acoustic wanderings. He may have written the most peaceful composition for a song titled "Lost in Violence" in the history of music. A trip.