Six years have passed since the release of Freakwater's last album, End Time. Using their uniquely askew take on honky-tonk, bluegrass, and countrypolitan, Freakwater invariably make records easily distinguishable from one another while maintaining their signature sound. Label mates Califone join them on this release, creating a record both modern and timeless in it's instrumentation and sentiment. The outcome is complex and subtly nuanced with remarkable balance and fluidity. Like the album cover's tongue-in-cheek greeting card image of a burning bouquet, the music itself represents an exquisite blend of beauty, horror, and inexplicable optimism. Thrill Jockey. 2005.