Martin Craft has created a holistic and moving third album. Born from time spent on the edge of the Mojave desert, these piano-based meditations on time, space and nature feel both intimate and expansive with hushed, dreamy vocals that blossom into much larger orchestrated sections. There are all manner of ambient environmental sounds in the mix, lurking below the surface of the recordings and adding to the album’s haunting and sometimes pagan mystic vibe. Craft hasn’t eschewed songs for atmosphere though. Tracks such as Chemical Trails emerge from the desert haze with rich melodies, choruses and verses like Mercury Rev in a sad and beautiful dream-state.

Chris Familton