Cloak and Cipher

LP PACKAGING NOTES:

• Vinyl pressed at RTI
• Includes download card 

Land of Talk's sophomore album Cloak and Cipher marks an electric step forward for the band musically and sonically, establishing vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Elizabeth Powell as one of Canada's most exciting new musical voices. Joining Powell on the album are Eoin O Laoghaire (bass) and Andrew Barr (drums) and special guests drawn from the Montreal music scene and beyond including Patrick Watson and members of Stars, Silver Mount Zion Band, Wintersleep, Besnard Lakes, Arcade Fire and Esmerine.

Following the release of Some Are Lakes, Land of Talk joined Broken Social Scene on a North American tour where in addition to opening the show, Powell joined the collective on stage nightly and left critics taking note. With the release of Cloak and Cipher, it's clear that Powell and company took the power of these live shows and focused them into a more complex, textured and sophisticated musical composition.

Tracks like "Hamburg, Noon" swing tensely between acrobatic vocals and rumbling guitars while "Swift Coin" roars to the fore like an eviscerating siren; exploding into a rollicking and joyous guitar anthem. The halfway point, "The Hate I Won't Commit", featuring a piano solo from Patrick Watson, weaves between abrasive and gentle, expanding through choral backing vocals and distressed, emotive pleas from Powell. "Quarry Hymns" is the sweetest and saddest Land of Talk you will hear, insistently driven by Arcade Fire's Jeremy Gara on drums. The record concludes with the dreamy and ethereal "Better and Closer" gently rocking you asunder.

Release Date: August 24th, 2010