First Play: Find the Others, Empire of Time

Find the Others may take its name from a Timothy Leary reference, but the band's new record isn't tripped-out psychedelia. No, Empire of Time is lush and bright, like one of those amazingly clear nights where the sky is bottomless and dark, but also vibrant and alive with galaxies of stars. It's the sound of getting lost in space, floating above the Earth, suspended and safe, buoyed by some kind of magic.

Andy Sheppard (who is also a producer at CBC), the main man behind Find the Others, exhibits a tenderness that's sentimental and gentle without being cloying. His whispery vocals, paired with excellent backing vocals throughout from Robin Dann and Felicity Williams, add to the gauzy, weightlessness of the tracks. That's not to say the songs are winsome or slight; rather, this is a confident, decisive collection that excels in its quiet strength and restrained beauty.

Listen to Empire of Time one week before its release, above, and pre-order it here.

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