Co-producers Fraser and Steven Drake offer several interesting twists, such as the intro to "Bleeding Heart," which sounds as if it were sampled from a dusty '30s record and the glowering industrial touches on several tracks that replace all traces of vulnerability with menace. Yet as dark as Two Ton Boa can become, the group is capable of ethereal beauty. Fraser's voice shines against sparse accompaniment on "Puppet Charm," while "Have Mercy," with its tight harmonies and intricate added instrumentation from members of the group's Olympia, Wash., neighbors The Need, provides a tension-releasing close to the album with its straightforward indie-pop approach. Fraser has years of classical training on the oboe, recorder, and French horn under her belt, and she uses this knowledge to inject unorthodox elements into her creations, giving them a refreshing sense of depth. Even in the hands of mediocre artists, the radiance of her compositions remains unclouded. When passionately performing her own material, Fraser approaches the summit of peaks previously scaled only by the incomparable PJ Harvey.
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