The only knock against this self-titled debut full-length is that, while there certainly is a theme, there isn’t much variation. That theme, however, is often evocative and moving. The duo of Brazilian drummer Rodrigo Falcao and British Columbian singer Monashee Run weave subdued vocals around a dense rich folk sound that draws both from flamenco and alt-folk. The sound fills its space with warmth, longing and a certain sense of dread.

Songs like “Teleportation,” “Starlight,” “Strange Universe,” indeed all eight tracks, inhabit that mood. To taste a couple tracks at a time is to be transported by pretty rhythms, poetic phrasing and the odd appearance of a mandolin here, a violin there. It is unfortunately easy to glaze over, and miss, many of the sublte touches when listening to this all the way through.

Falcao & Monashee are already at a peak of virtuosity and vision on this debut. Such rich music demands to be heard for its nuances, and that can be threatened by a repetition of melodies that make each song seem a cover of the previous one. With more diversity of sound, this duo can take their music past the heights to which it is already capable. 9/10 -- Mike Wood (2 September, 2009)