S CAREY

Hundred Acres 8/10

A ravishing Upper Midwestern pastorale from the Bon Iver drummer/vocalist

The striking Cameron Wittig photographs that grace the covers of Sean Carey’s three albums and two EPs mirror the synaesthesia of sounds and hues conjured up by the Wisconsin-based artist, whose unself-conscious embrace of the Keatsian notion of beauty is apparent in every translucent moment. What makes Hundred Acres more than background music are the compositional details and emotional undercurrents beneath the tranquil surfaces of the 10 tracks, with their interplay of wispy, Beach Boys-inspired falsetto vocals, strummed acoustics and swaddling strings. Rhapsodic pieces like “Yellowstone”, “True North” and “More I See”, which shapeshift between stirring verse/chorus song structures and diaphanous soundscapes, render this an album you can get lost in.