Ray LaMontagne | Ouroboros

I didn't get into this guy for his first four albums. He had that whole maudlin, bearded folk dude with a guitar thing going on, which I like a little of, but...

His fifth album though came as a complete surprise; Supernova, it was called. I have no idea what went on in Ray LaMontagne's life that inspired this kind of dimensional leap - from humble, melancholy-folk to a glorious sixties style psychedelic pop-rock explosion, tipping it's hat to Neil Young, The Byrds and The Beatles among others. He did have Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys produce the album which may have had something to do with it.

But that was then and Supernova is not the album we're looking at. A week or so ago LaMontagne released his sixth studio album, this one called Ouroboros.

I was curious to see which direction he'd take this album; if he might slip back into the sultry Americana or if he'd try and hold this new frequency.

I was not disappointed.

Ouroboros, is way more introspective than Supernova. It feels like some kind of a private exploration, but the hooks are as deep and the production – this time by My Morning Jacket’s Jim James – is as deft. It vies from sublime, ethereal and emotional to raw uptempo rock. I'm pretty impressed by the way James and LaMontagne manage to straddle the line between soft and gritty. It's seamless. The whole thing has a kind of movement to it, like it's one organism.

If this album is tipping it's hat to any artists of yesteryear, it is most likely Pink Floyd. Dark and heady and kind of dreamlike. It does feel slightly self-indulgent but I kind of like that about it.

Album highlights for hooks and vibe are “Hey, No Pressure”, “The Changing Man” which swells up into a swirling climax and the tortured “While it Still Beats”.