Tift Merritt Stitch of the World Gradient Sun "Lower Yr Voice" captures all

"Lower Yr Voice" captures all of the static electricity and gorgeous distortion ping-ponging between solid state amps and busted eardrums that filled sweaty basements and VFW halls in the split-seconds between songs performed by bands like Portraits of Past and Clikatat Ikatowi

is a duet with de facto leader Stuart Murdoch -- but even the relatively concise "The Party Line" bears a heavy four-four thump

while the sonics of the album are based around acoustic and other traditional instruments

Unconsciously or not

gaining a word-of-mouth reputation as one of the most exciting new bands on the scene

Tift Merritt Stitch of the World Gradient Sun "Lower Yr Voice" captures allStitch of the World, Merritt's sixth studio album, was written on a friend's farm in Marfa, Texas, at Merritt's California cabin and in New York City in the wake of several major changes in her life. Merritt workshopped the songs on Stitch of the World with longtime friend Sam Beam of Iron & Wine after bumping into him in an airport. The album was recorded in Los Angeles while Merritt was six months pregnant, after which she relocated to her hometown