Warm In The Wake

Gold Dust Trail

Clocking in at just under 25 minutes, the seven songs that pave the Gold Dust Trail EP plod along so leisurely you’ll think it’s a full-length. Warm In The Wake takes the anticipation of the slow-core crawl and spins it into brooding, atmospheric Americana that requires concentrated listening, leaving plenty of room for your mind to wander.

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Focus on the path of the Trail and you’ll tour the golden-flecked, sun-drenched sepia landscapes and barren melodies of the band (and occasionally the Band). Think Radar Bros. and the brittle nuances of Idaho or early Wilco and you’re on the right track. Equal parts somnambulistic and impressionistic, the parchment-backed excursions aren’t for everyone. The songs defiantly ask you to wait — and for those who actively listen, the hushed guitars, sporadic keyboards and barren melodies weave a dry, hypnotic drone. Glacial, distant melodies anchor the album, surrounding “Good King,” the hands-down highlight, with a flaxen frame of stoic serenity. 4 stars

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Warm In The Wake plays Sat., Jan. 27 at the Star Bar.