This has two things going for it. First is vocalist Kara Trott who has a delicate, almost mesmerising quality to her singing - unfortunately, and rather annoyingly, around half the tracks are instrumentals! The second is the unique sound that is created from the combination of marimba and cello, and the band undoubtedly sound at their best when all these elements are harnessed in unison to give life to chief songwriter (and guitarist) Troy Kidwell's creations.
The CD starts strongly with the excellent "Transmission", followed by the hauntingly melodic "Flann O'Brien", a song you can't help but like even if you can't quite work out why! Sadly things take a turn for the worse towards the middle with a burst of instrumental performances that at times verge on the worst excesses of prog-rock. However, on the vocal front, "Say Goodbye" is another standout track before the band wanders back into instrumental mode again.
Well worth a listen, and it'll be interesting to hear what the next release brings (due late 2006) and the direction this unique sounding 5-piece band chooses to take.