Ice Melt, Crumb, LP

ICE MELT, Crumb's second LP, begins with a chaotic scene and ends with a lullaby. "Lyrically," says frontwoman Lila Ramani, "my goal was to return back down to earth from a strange, floating place, and write about real substances and beings that live on this planet." The sounds, too, feel more grounded and of this earth, evoking moods of both isolation and deep connection. Recorded to 2-inch tape by analog masters Jonathan Rado and Michael Harris, ICE MELT is Crumb's most ambitious collection of songs to date, at turns totally in control and willing to spin off into oblivion.