Experimental pop concept album based on Millton's Paradise Lost. It's a strange listen when you don't know the Milton connection. It's still pretty strange when you do. Most songs are guitar and drums, but some use samples, synths and effects. Much more experimental (and bloated) than anything by Hart's old band Husker Du. There are flashes of the catchy post-hardcore jams he used to write, but they're spread out. Gets pretty surreal toward the end. Track 14 is uniquely unnerving. I also recommend track 17 if only because it's such a strange concept. Track 2 is just a good pop song. FCC clean.

1. (1:58) wind chimes, chanting and tympani. Religious spoken word at the end.
*2. (4:20) simple electric chord progression, drums: hit hit pause hit. simple, repetitive lyrics.
3. (5:16) dissonant intro, sounds likes Lou Reed as Evangelical pastor, faux-choir, church bells
4. (3:21) military drums, dissonant accordion? grandiose lyrics
5. (4:37) swirls and synths, heavy drums, guitar starts halfway. "escape from this decimated hellscape."
6. (2:33) machine gun drums, jagged guitar riff, dog barks. Vocals are somewhere between rap and chanting.
7. (2:57) cabaret organ and light drums. Lots of minor chords.
8. (3:03) rolling drums and strummed acoustic guitar. Decent semi-strummed electric solo.
9. (3:40) organ and slow drums. Nice, simple vocal melody.
10. (2:41) acoutstic strumming and psych organ
11. (3:36) slow drums, off-beat electric strums. boring.
12. (4:34) sounds like a crappy Help!-era Beatles cover.
13. (4:15) possibly a pop song about the danger of false idols? satan?
*14. (4:32) sirens, machine guns and glockenspiel, vocal samples
15. (3:19) almost sounds like Husker Du! Lyrics from the perspective of God?
16. (4:00) scuzzy power pop
*17. (3:09) sounds faux-old timey a la Beirut. "satire" from the perspective of the snake in the garden of eden.
18. (5:38) echoey vocals and wind chimes. more reptiles.
19. (3:10) rolling drums simple chord progression, could be a singalong jam minus the minor-key interludes
20. (3:39) harmonica and distorted guitar. "every great brings you closer to your death"