What a nice little surprise! Jud Ehrbar's new solo record away from Space Needle reminds me of... well, Space Needle, except with more melody and -- if you can believe it -- more melancholy. Even the songs that take flight, like the elgaic by way of '70s fusion title track seem to have an exhale of sadness to them. And then there are songs like "Weight of the World" that sigh with spooky trip hop beats and hurricane-wind Moog solos. Not a happy album, but when the sunshine does poke through (and, occasionally, it does), it's a beautiful album.

-Jason Josephes