S. Carey: All We Grow

Label: Jagjaguwar

New genre coinage: indie-chamber-classical-folk-pop. (You heard it here first, and perhaps hopefully, last as well.) With All We Grow, Sean Carey, a member of Bon Iver's band and a student of classical (and classy) percussion, has crafted an album of meditative, artfully repetitive songs that pivot on sparkling piano figures and a learned sense of patience: Check out the way those looped vocals, keys and synth on "In the Dirt" circle around for a good three minutes-plus before a -- a handclap! A handclap rises to introduce a modestly thumped bass drum (not to mention goosebumps on your arm). Carey avoids being too precious with his skills; while the percussion on "Action" is clearly the lead instrument it's hardly academic (though it could be described as smart). Representative of the album's best traits is "We Fell," a soaring shimmer of a song that could be a Philip Glass attempt at indie-pop. Grow on, student. (Bosco)