Home XIV

"Home emerged in Tampa, FL in 1992 when longtime collaborators Eric Morrison (piano) and Andrew Deutsch (guitar) joined up with Brad Truax (bass) and Sean Martin (drums). For their fifth studio album they have teamed up with Dave Deserter's Songs Fridmann and Michael Ivins of The Flaming Lips to weave a textured odyssey of alternative pop kookiness and light.

After the spooky intro of 'Aguirre', the galloping rhythms of 'Burden', 'So Much Love' and 'Truly Judy' blend deep regret and exhilarating pop optimism into delicate masterpieces that still manage to sound big. 'Coming Up Empty Again' is a stripped down skeleton of a song, so fragile that you hear the crackle of studio before beautiful melodies yet again rush in.

XIV trails off in its last quarter with the sad beauty of 'Memories'; "if you're holding onto memories/please hold onto mine/because I want to place prominently in your beautiful mind/beautiful heart/ beautful soul . . .".

The overwhelming final redemption of 'Let It Overcome You' condenses all that is great about XIV into one perfectly formed battle cry.

Cheer up, 'cos it's winter soon.