Palace Of Mirrors (2006)
I talked about the band's sense of humor being minimized on Quadropus, but I've subsequently realized the humor wasn't really any less prevalent than on Buck Fever, it just sort of felt that way because it was mostly relegated to the second half of the album. This time a lot of the band's sillier quirks are noticeably absent though: No doo-wop nods, nonsensical spoken word, or original chiptune compositions, and nothing as obviously jokey as "Bodyslam".
This is the album of theirs that reminds me most of Secret Chiefs 3 - I'm not sure if working with SC 3 started rubbing off a lot more at this point, or if it's just a natural effect of removing the aforementioned elements and adding a bit more emphasis on orchestral instrumentation and soundtrack music influences. The important thing is that this is some of the most epic-sounding music they've put out, and they're still mixing genres in unusual ways: "Those Who Know..." is a good example of both, as it sounds like the theme to some sort of Bollywood spy western (and I don't know about you, but I'd certainly want to watch such a thing).
Assuming this is the end (sources seem to vary as to whether they've truly split up, although wikipedia seems to think so), it's a really great way to go out. I guess there's something kind of bittersweet about listening to a band's entire output in a week, growing to love them, and not knowing whether they'll ever produce anything else. I guess if I need more I can always dive into the previously mentioned live recordings on archive.org though.
Key Tracks: Those Who Know..., The Terrible Beautypower Of Meow, Colossal Risk
