The ever-evolving, constantly collaborating duo of Mamiffer – composed of core members Faith Coloccia and the always-busy Aaron Turner – strike a deep nerve on their newest LP The World Unseen. It’s a blend of piano-driven simplicity, almost poppy, that locks step with Coloccia’s heavily layered, evocative vocals, ambient swells of noise from both the analog and the digital realms, and an emotional arc that, to me at least, is centered on the idea of touching divinity through earthly means as a way to give meaning to the pain of the past. It is all at once a supremely ethereal and heavenly, yet intensely introspective, and it’s not at all afraid of confronting listeners with emotions of grief and longing. Simply, it’s one of the clearest artistic statements I’ve heard so far this year.  Continue reading →