It’s hard to pin down Rafter Roberts’ new album; one moment it’s filled with static, the next with mellow strings. It’s an indie melange, with guitars, drums, sometimes-thin vocals, and other instruments twisting everywhere. Music for Total Chickens‘ schizophrenic sound is matched by its pace: 18 tracks totaling about 37 minutes. That brevity makes it hard for these tracks to dig into the lofty ambitions signaled by their titles (“hope,” “tragedy,” etc). Still, there’s a sort of fragmented optimism here that gives the album warmth.