Ramona Falls

Prophet, the sophomore release from Ramona Falls, is an album that recalls the experimental beauty of Laughing Stock by Talk Talk, and the unabashed earnestness of Death Cab For Cutie. Frontman Brent Knopf appreciates those highly regarded comparisons but when pressed for the true inspirations that fed into his overall vision, he cites Martin Gore of Depeche Mode's dark chordal elements, a production style halfway between Tears for Fears and the Homosexuals, and lyrical themes that channel a dyslexic Jorge Luis Borges if he starred in Flowers for Algernon. The stunning album begins with "Bodies of Water", an emotive and rousing anthem about how intimacy bundles together both nourishment and peril. "Spore," a heartfelt highlight of the album bears a substantive core: "I like the idea of someone refusing to feel lonely, despite how utterly alone they might actually be," Knopf explains. "It's a form of rebellion."