Now he's relocated to Chicago, gotten serious about professional deadlines, and tried to move to the next level with a set of quiet meditations between three and five minutes long. For the most part, they never find their mark. Without the support of hard hooks or the space to build up any mesmerizing tension, there's simply nothing to draw you into their slow, minimalist, half-spoken explorations of love, faith, and today's sociopolitical apocalypse. "Los Angeles" is the sole reminder of how terse and true he can be -- and will be again after this flops.

-- Franklin Soults