Land of Talk might be finally reaching that long overdue point in their career where people are going to take notice of them. Lead crooner Elizabeth Powell recently did a stint as the female vocalist with Broken Social Scene, they are signed to esteem alt-rock/country Nebraska-based label Saddle Creek which was co-started by Conor Oberst, and the new album Cloak and Cipher features collaborations with every Canadian powerhouse musician available (ie. Stars, Arcade Fire, The Besnard Lakes, Thee Silver Mt. Zion).

It’s a totally realized effort with many ambitious ideas. With each song clocking in at average around 5 minutes, it has to take a pretty solid melody to keep people grasped. Powell and her bandmates have never fallen short of new concepts though, and if you can’t listen to her sing for hours on end, then I don’t know who you are. With one of the prettiest and smoothest voices in recent indie music, that facet alone could suffice, but it doesn’t hurt that the guitar work on this album is masterful, first standing out in one of the lead singles “Quarry Hymns.” Reverb-laden but still shimmery enough to discern multiple rotating riffs during the chorus, the hook is made cheerful with the instrumentation, but when Powell opens her mouth to utter the lyrics, it feels like she’s been bottling them up for years. Therefore, each track has a certain mournful quality to it; it’s tough to figure out how you feel at the end of it all.

I won’t lie- I think “Quarry Hymns” and its immediate successor on the album “Swift Coin” are one of the best pairings I’ve ever heard on an album. “Swift Coin” is grittier, almost like a “Snap the hell out of it!” which might have drifted over from the previous song. Powell’s not taking any crap in this one, the drums are fiercer, and the lyrics are ridiculously simple with only two unique verses discussing the qualms of motherhood. There is a massive jam session in the middle, illustrating that Powell can rival St. Vincent any day with guitar prowess, something most people think could never be matched.

Whereas previous album Some Are Lakes was bent more in a lo-fi, unhinged direction, Cloak and Cipher has a tremendous amount of quality production in tow. While some albums lose a lot of personality when getting very regimented, the mark of a truly good band are the ones who can still keep some mystery in tow. Land of Talk requires multiple listens to figure out what exactly is being said and exactly how layered the drums and guitars are to create the complex melodies which adorn this album. Once you figure it out, you’re one step ahead of everyone else just being introduced to this Canadian gem, and your listening experiences are no doubt more fruitful than much of the mediocre music hitting our airwaves nowadays.