Jasper TX, A Darkness (CD)

At his best, Jasper TX is really remarkable, and the first track on A Darkness (2007) is a good example. "Better Days to Come" evolves from a beautiful ambient soundscape into a simple almost romantic melody without ever drawing attention to the change, and then slowly fades back into the soundscape. It's all impressively and flawlessly executed. The rest of the record, while still good, evolves a bit less coherently. The palette is beautiful, and the simple melodies float nicely. Sometimes the structure is less clear, and the music seems to be held together in a bit of less obvious fashion. It's aways pleasant and intriguing at the same time, but only sometimes remarkable. The austere 3-fold DigiPak looks great too.