Efren's Rise Up and Melt

Here's a slow burner, the whispery dark, country-psych Rise Up and Melt from Athens, Georgia's Efren. Efren is mainly Scott Low, whose marital troubles form the melancholy backdrop of this album, but he also has an able backing band, not sure who, but good pedal steel and occasional bits of cello, very nice.

I'm liking a lot of things about this album, but let's lead with the long, trippy ruminations of "Mr. Greene," which unspools in a wind-tunnel of longing and regret, space-noises pinging across vast empty spaces, distant campfire strumming, murmured lyrics about fire and destruction and death...it's pretty stunning. I also like "H Bomb" a lot, partly for its lefty sentiments about oil wars and hydrogen-powered cars, but also for its shit-kicking hillbilly rollick.

Here's "Mr. Greene"

"Moonshine" is pretty good, too.