Time Of Dust

Singer/songwriter Ed Harcourt's 2014 effort Time of Dust is a dark yet lyrical six-track EP. Produced by Harcourt along with engineer Dave Izumi Lynch, the EP follows up his sixth full-length album, 2013's Back into the Woods. While certainly a bleak collection, Time of Dust nonetheless finds Harcourt delivering on his longstanding knack for crafting melodic, passionate songs. Here, the Sussex-born pianist and vocalist delves into several immaculately produced, somewhat baroque songs that find him ruminating on such weighty subjects as suicide ("Come into My Dreamland"), war ("We All Went Down with the Ship"), and lost love ("Love Is a Minor Key"). Despite being a mini-album, Time of Dust is -- as with most of Harcourt's releases -- a substantial recording of arch, demonic grandeur and an essential listen for longtime fans. ~ Matt Collar