Lush and cinematic scenes drenched with Americana folds make up Aviary Ghost’s release Memory is a Hallway. The duo made up of Charlie Crimando and Stephen Kemsley holed themselves up in a one-room Michigan apartment during a long winter to record the album. Immersing themselves in bourbon and train-watching, the two wrestled with cabin fever. As the title suggest, the album’s lyrics explore memories and how they shape one’s identity and create the present. 

What resulted is a wintry mix of falsetto harmonies, grand-scale orchestrations, and intricate pop arrangements. Standout track “Somewhere Else” begins with a quiet, stripped-down clattering of strings and a meek, solo falsetto before embarking on a cavalcade of kick drums, thick bass-lines, crashing cymbals and multi-part harmonies. The lines “I built a house for purple martins / They weren’t as purple as I thought” particularly linger on the aural palate.

• Multiple songs MySpace