This is not my first try at writing this review; over the few weeks since I stumbled on this album I've thrown away half-written reviews at least a dozen times. It's not for a lack of elements to discuss -- I could talk a bout the fantastic harmonies and even more fantastic almost-harmonies in the vocals, about the wide stylistic range and the perfect transitions between and within styles, the unstuck-in-time feel (one moment it feels retro, the next moment it feels absolutely modern, the next like the future of some alternate past -- except not, because all three moments are happening simultaneously as often as not). I could talk about the emotionality or the technical skill or the deliciousness of the recursing jams or the psychedelic raga moments. I love all of the above and more, but they're really not what I love about the album; what I love about the album is some holistic, emergent property of their combination, and in and of itself it proves peskily difficult to nail down in words. So I guess I'll have to use numbers -- while I generally hesitate to give perfect ratings in anything, this 10 is earned in full.
:EDIT: Oh, and didn't even mention the awesome cover art -- nothing is missing here.