Picking up where the dreamy, hypnotic folk-pop of Milkweeds left off,
Milksop Holly's
Time to Come In features more of Mara Flynn's sweet, slightly twangy voice and plaintive acoustic guitars and adds strings, synths, and stronger songwriting. The result is a subtly powerful collection of songs like "Rust," in which Flynn sings sweetly malevolent lyrics like "Love is a slow fire that eats at your heart like rust... my face is full of poison" over a backdrop of acoustic guitars and rich cellos. The album ranges from earthy, countrified numbers like "When I Get Home" to spacious, psychedelic epics like "Seasick" and "Cowardice." The title track blends both styles into a pleasantly droning tune reminiscent of
Edith Frost's "Calling Over Time," and "Leave the Guitar"'s martial drumming and loopy guitars recall
Kristin Hersh's elliptical song structures.
Time to Come In's most surprising track is a lovely reworking of "Moon River"; the tremolo in Flynn's voice makes it sound as though she's singing underwater, an effect that is heightened by the droning strings and guitars that surround her. A quietly lovely album,
Time to Come In delivers on
Milksop Holly's abundant potential. ~ Heather Phares