At this point Bradford Cox releases so much free Atlas Sound material on his blog there has to be a good reason for piecing a bunch of new songs together and expecting you to pay for it. Who knows how he decides when to turn a sketch into a finished piece, but that the 11-song Logos, his second proper Atlas Sound full-length, flows together so gorgeously as a 44-minute patchwork of sounds, seems reason enough. It also showcases a marked upgrade in songwriting since Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel, suggesting that maybe all that free downloadable practice paid off: The gurgling, angelic opener "The Light That Failed"'s quietly pours into the shuffling half-step of "An Orchid," which finds itself inside an echo chamber and blooms fully with "Walkabout." Cox has said "almost everything" on Logos "is a first take" and likens it to a live album "where a band sets up in a studio and just rolls tape." He also notes, perhaps disingenuously, that "there are songs on here I don't even remember recording." Whatever the case, that sort of spontaneity -- a decision not to over think -- is another factor in making Logos a tighter, (much) more focused collection than its predecessor.Continue reading Premature Evaluation: Atlas Sound - Logos...