Like I said, I came to Moon Letters not via their debut, but from their most recent album. This Dark Earth is album #3 (their sophomore effort Thank You From The Future remains unheard…at least until the vinyl arrives), and it doubles down on the instrumental wizardry and lush vocal lines. But it also moves away from the analog, 70s vintage sounds for something more modern, taking influences from 80s rock and metal to hone in on and craft their own identity. The growth over six years is evident, with disparate sections of songs coalescing better as the songwriting gets more concise. Nothing is lost, much is gained, and it continues to surprise me with each listen.

Things get at once heavier and more pronounced on the opening track “Energy Of The Heart,” though it takes a moment to get there. Dave Webb’s guitar is thicker, meshing well on the copious lines he shares with keyboardist John Allday, who gets to funk out royally during the middle break. But damn if single “Silver Dream” doesn’t deliver the goods vocally. Michael Trew channels George Michael (this one, not this one) in one of the best vocal moments on record this year. Throughout This Dark Earth he really shows off his versatility, even getting in some raspy screams on the album’s heavier moments.

But back to “Silver Dream,” which proceeds to get heavy and psychedelic before the horns – such a welcome surprise on the debut – return in high fashion. In just under seven minutes Moon Letters manage to craft an epic that other bands would’ve recorded at double the length…and half the creativity. It really is that good of a track to my ears, so good that I always get slightly distracted when the 80s pop of “Island Of Magic Mirrors” comes on; it’s obviously from the same band but that intro is such a left turn from what I’ve come to expect from the band it never fails to throw me off.

The rest of This Dark Earth continues to highlight everything the band is good at: “Lonely Moon” is a lovely interlude, the acoustic guitars more naturally situated in the mix with the bass and layers of synths in the background. “In The Catacombs” hits some late 80s Extreme in its funkier and riff-centered moments, although Allday’s keyboards are prominent in a proggy way the Boston rockers could never get away with (consider that my formal challenge, Nuno!).

Those lamenting prog’s more typical touchstones get theirs with the album’s closing track. “Dawn Of The Winterbird” is just over 17 minutes of changing moods and styles, with plenty of instrumental breaks and theatrical bombast. Oddly, it might be my least favorite track on This Dark Earth; something about the concision of the other tracks makes the shifts and hooks cling together better for me. Which is not to say it’s a bad track – it’s really, really good. Just didn’t hit me like everything else on the record did and does.

Maybe that will change. After all, all signs point to Moon Letters being a regular on my stereo system for a while to come.