's talents are many, but his gift for pastiche has always been especially striking. This was the entire mission statement when was getting his start as one-half of , an indie band whose earliest songs were lo-fi collages that felt like turning the radio dial in an alternate reality where the only the best classic rock and '60s pop were on every station. His first solo album, 2013's ramshackle , appropriated something new on nearly every track, re-creating psychedelic country one moment and fuzzy chamber pop the next. In the time since, emerged as a sought-after producer, bringing his fine-tuned ear to sessions with , , and many others, and creating several more volumes of always-different output before the band called it quits in 2019. is 's first fully solo statement since , and this time around he's deep in the zone. The nearly seven-minute title track that starts the album has the same slightly warped pop sensibilities as 's "rock" records, building arrangements on circular melodies that somehow manage to be both heavenly and distraught. It's a very specific feeling borrowed directly from , but it translated into 's production voice with glimmering synths and stacked vocal harmonies. "Farther Away" shifts to a deranged minimal funk similar to the kind helped craft for 's Berlin records. marries various Enoisms to other reference points throughout, landing somewhere between , and on "Easier," a touching tribute to his late production mentor . 's singing has improved significantly since his last solo effort. On "Don't Wait Too Long," controlled vocals make the song shine, bringing out more personality in a tune modeled after similar '80s radio pop sounds as those mined on their 2019 swan song, . Help from members of adds a hint of glam here and there, and 's songwriting lens widens to include nods to -era , all tied together with loose, reverb-appreciative analog production. There's a somber tone just under the surface, rising up pronouncedly on instrumental closer "Yer Funeral," but there's more joy than grief in . It's a guided tour through some of the favorite inspirations of an avid sound collector, easily as enjoyable as 's best work of a similar nature, but showing more restraint as well as a new willingness on 's part to step out from behind the curtain and vulnerably share difficult emotions. ~ Fred Thomas