The American Dollar

Using drums, keyboards, guitars, and various other percussion instruments, John Emanuele and Rich Cupolo weave richly textured melodies in between cascades of drums, synths, and sparse organ notes, creating a sound that puts them on par with bands like The Album Leaf or Explosions in the Sky. Whether a track contains a lush, ambient-interlude feel or a sweeping explosion of chords, emotion runs high on this disc. - XLR8R

Brilliantly, the tracks often blend into each other, leaving no space for afterthought or pause. In 'Call', tender swathes of melody and stuttering, trip-hop drumbeat give way to the exultant reverb-laden guitar army and boisterous Hammond that drives the raucous 'Bump'. The best is yet to come though, and it arrives in the doublet of the strikingly gorgeous 'Lights Dim' and its successor 'Transcendence'. The former recalls God Is An Astronaut in their prime, its ravishing electronic undercurrent laying the foundation for some achingly lonely synths. The latter begins with a Dave Gilmour-esque guitar squall, eventually yielding to a heart-stopping organ blast before ultimately culminating in a tender robotic harmony. Both are works of rare talent and ingenuity, taking elements from electronica and post-rock and making the pairing of the two seem somehow new and vital. - The Silent Ballet