This turned out to be a much more soothing record than I expected it to be, a bit on the Slowdive side of dream pop. It's got a very spacious and airy feeling to it, which I suppose pairs well with the theme, though it's not the most direct interpretation on the list. My own expectation for the winter theme was dark, brooding rock, or warm, cozy folk, and while this is neither, it has a certain cold snowiness to it that I can fully accept. Early Evening Reverie almost sounds like shoes crunching through fresh snowfall, or snow being swept from a porch.
If I close my eyes, the scene that comes to mind is of snowfall on a night where the clouds have cloaked the sky; one of those evenings that feels soft rather than crisp, and the night appears purple and well-lit from the reflection of town lights off the snow.
Of the albums nominated, I've only heard two of them to compare this to, one of which was my nomination. Naturally, I've got some bias towards my own nomination, but I would say that this album better suits the monthly theme than The Lonesome Crowded West. Atmospherically, I think it even more accurate than my offering, The Devil and God (which I selected for entirely personal reasoning).
I don't believe this album has any standout tracks, but this is because it seems to function as a whole. I appreciate the solace this album evokes in a season I generally find lags with bitter cold. It's a much more thoughtful and optimistic choice than I made.
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