The Deer Tracks: Aurora

Though they certainly have a side that’s as delicate as their name would suggest, The Deer Tracks are actually at their best when their sound builds to something overbearing, if not crushing. Though their songs tend to start with a focus on little melodies and the breathy, elfin vocals of female half of the duo Elin Lindfors, its rare they stay so small. Building layer upon layer, from shimmering, shuffling electronic textures to David Lehnberg’s harmonies to soaring horns to sharp, staccato drum loops, they quickly create something much more akin to a towering forest than a spritely path through fresh-fallen snow. The lyrics, with a bent towards loss and yearning, don’t always match the grandeur of the music — there are semi-frequent lapses in to “la la las” that nevertheless are some of the prettier moments of the album — but to the Deer Tracks’ credit, they always manage to get you to follow them to wherever they’re leading you.