Like much of his work, Ray Raposa’s eerie batch of songs on the Rafter Roberts-produced Texas Rose, The Thaw, And The Beasts comes with a lonesome, swampy feel: Like everything was recorded in the deep woods at night and very much alone. Which is why the upfront percussive glitches (and cinders) of “Worn From The Fight (With Fireworks)” offer such a curve ball, especially after a couple of especially spare, quiet, and cavernous tracks. Besides that element, though, Raposa remains echoed, his instrumentation moss-lined and dark. It’s sort of like the longer the guy grows his beard, the more comfortable he gets allowing his songs to develop slowly and with as much space as an empty forest allows.

• Castanets – “Worn From The Fight (With Fireworks)”Download

Even though it can sound like Raposa’s by himself (and he often sings about solitude), he’s joined on the album by Rocket From The Crypt trumpet-player Jason Crane, Bauhaus’ David J, Black Heart Procession’s Pall Jenkins, Gogogo Airheart’s Andy Robillard, DM Stith, etc. The guests really make themselves heard on the more symphonic “No Trouble” and via the female backup choir and horns of opener “Rose,” for instance.

Texas Rose, The Thaw, And The Beasts is out 9/22 via Asthmatic Kitty. Before that, he’s on the road:

09/07 – Vancouver, BC @ Venue #
09/08 – Portland, OR @ Berbati’s #
09/10 – San Francisco, CA @ Grand Ballroom #
09/11 – Los Angeles, CA @ Avalon #
09/12 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues #
09/14 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theatre

# w/ Maximo Park