Passage

Brooklyn, NY's Exitmusic - comprised of Devon Church and Aleksa Palladino (of HBO's 'Boardwalk Empire') - will release their debut album, Passage, on May 22nd. Passage is a collection of newly-written songs and some of their older tunes that received some new coats of paint. Here, the two tethers that make up Exitmusic's sound - one stirring atmospherics, one of grandioise and thoughtful pop - are let to bow further out than before. They are, however, also pulled into a tighter, sharper knot at the center. There are big, emotional dynamic shifts, and a wave-crashing momentum across the set without ever breaking a sustained feeling of tenderness. It's dream-pop for those of us whose dream lives are Lawrence of Arabia-epic in scope: lulling, apocalyptic, celestial, triumphant. This is arena-goth.