Orders of Operations

Karass
(Self Released)

The follow-up to “Imponderable Bloom,” Karass has returned with “Order of Operations,” an EP that sees the quartet collaborating with a host of vocalists. The result is transcendent, a refined work of delicacy that is more than the sum of its parts. To be clear, while this seems like a more subtle affair that plays with tension without losing any sense of remaining dynamic, it’s not just the inclusion of vocals that sets this album apart. To wit, the band seems to have matured into something wholly new. Where before they seemed eager to wring every sound out of their gear, now there is a restraint here that allows the music to cohere in a way that it never has before. That each track is paired with a unique vocalist only elevates the album to a coherent and beautiful whole.