Herman Jolly is the frontman of Portland, Oregon's Sunset Valley, a beguiling and inventive songwriter and willowy performer. thanasphere is his second solo album, an organic-sounding record which ranges from intimate to huge. It's accessible, yet the weirdness is still there, like a coiled snake lurking.

Eleven songs: lost and spaced / and the earth / empire gate / windless / thumbtack / needles and pines / snowflake plan / dummy face / just wait / skins of bears / science of the sun