There's always been something nautical about Cerberus Shoal, even in their early days. Whereas their self-titled debut gave off imagery of an overcast, windy beachfront, ...And Farewell To Hightide shows that same beachfront in a different time, perhaps during a sunrise. The Slint influences seen on the debut still make their way onto this, but they're much less prevalent than before. Now, especially on tracks like "J.B.O. Vs. Blin", the music is slightly more twinkly, and has more stuff, like horns and pianos, going on it. It's very much like a prototypical, jazzy Mogwai. The spoken word parts here have taken a dive from the self-titled, as the ones you can hear are almost hilariously nonsensical and melodramatic. Still, the improvement in the instrumentation and the change in atmosphere make up for that, and make the album a logical progression from the self-titled. It's these changes that would ensure Cerebus Shoal never made the same album twice in their vastly underrated careers.
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