Night Falls, the title of the second album by Baltimore quartet Thrushes, seems to mirror the title of their 2007 debut, Sun Come Undone. And in many ways the album feels more like a companion piece to its predecessor than a new chapter for the band, with similar production and faithfulness to the shoegaze guitar sound of the early ‘90s. But the more you listen to the two albums and compare them, the more it becomes clear that the new songs do represent some subtle but notable steps forward in the band’s songwriting and arranging.

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Night Falls demonstrates this mix of old and new ideas almost immediately, with the jarring false start of the opener “Trees,” which would fit in seamlessly on the band’s first album if not for that attention-grabbing trick. Each member of Thrushes seems to be coming into their own, with drummer Matt Davis and bassist Rachel Tracy gelling as a more formidable rhythm section than before. Guitarist Casey Harvey is still crafting Spector-esque walls of sound, but there’s a darker undercurrent to songs like “Juggernaut” and “Skywave” that recalls Sonic Youth circa Evol more than anything else.

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The Thrushes’ most notable evolution, though, may be that of singer/guitarist Anna Conner. Before, she’d sometimes fade into the band’s shimmering squall of guitar, like just another piece of the whole. But here, her vocals are mixed more prominently, and her performances are more emotionally engaging. The halfway point of the brooding standout “Used To You” is the moment where Conner commands the listener’s attention like never before, as the song’s opening groove is stripped down to foreground the central lyric: “noone has ever broken your heart/ it isn’t how you want to live/ I think someone should break your heart/ so that you know how much to give.” And as the song builds back up to a swirling climax, it becomes clear that the 2010 Thrushes have tricks up their sleeve that the 2007 Thrushes were never capable of.

In my younger days I wasn’t much of a Cure fan. They were mopey. Wore dark clothes. And were considered “gothic”. Something I couldn’t wrap my finger around. Until I heard their album Mixed Up, which was simply remixes and rearrangements of their studio songs. At that time, anything with a drum machine was offensive to me. It felt inhuman, like a sub-par replacement. I didn’t see the big picture of what could be created and innovated with a drum machine. Anyhow, regardless of my problems with a certain instrument, the record spoke to me. Namely the remix of Caterpillar and Inbetween Days. They were so completely different from the originals; they were almost new songs.

This brings me to the Thrushes’ new remix single that includes many creative and innovative mixes a la Mixed Up.

The first mix is by DtheNextLevel, aptly titled DtheNextLevel Mix, from Arlington, VA. It’s a great opener. Very spacey and bouncy. It reminds me of The Orb.
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The next mix, Manchester Reunited Mix, is by Jonesamatic from Baltimore. It totally reminds me of a James mix. I love the bass and the way they worked in the slightly off-kilter vocals. This mix totally propels. A good summer mix for the car with the windows down.
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Rob Sharp’s contribution gives us the Evil Gospel Playroom Mix. And that it is. It’s roomy and dark and filled with a choir that lends a touch of the evil.
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Insect Guide’s No Bones Mix is pretty interesting. It doesn’t stray too much from the original, but it’s a great remix in the purest aspect of a remix. It’s a wonderfully executed interpretation of the original.
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The single (which also includes the video directed by Kevin Doyle) is being released in a limited run of 500. Be sure to pick up a copy today. You can order it from their site for $8.