…And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead – Festival Thyme EP

Fans and critics still wrestle over whether Conrad Keely's troupe reached its creative zenith with 2002’s Source Tags & Codes, but hopes appear unanimous that Trail of Dead's rough ride with a major label might have shaken them out of apathy. At odds with the lethargic trundle of Festival Thyme's title track and the cloying, bombastic Bells of Creation comes Inland Sea – a piano-led beauty where Keely’s vocals remain tender until the building thunder all around forces him to bawl: "Wake up, remind yourself exactly who you were." And it's telling; on aggregate this is the sound of a band in the throes of an identity crisis. Here's hoping they work it out with the forthcoming sixth LP. [Johnny Langlands]