Arriving four years after the Austin duo's eponymous debut -- a period of time when they were repeatedly nominated for Grammys, including nods for a Deluxe Edition reissue of
Black Pumas
and the concert set
Capitol Cuts - Live from Studio A
--
Chronicles of a Diamond
finds
orbiting the same sonic sun they created their first time around. Drawing equally from vintage psychedelia, producer/multi-instrumentalist
Adrian Quesada
and vocalist
Eric Burton
do achieve a certain kind of cinematic swirl, one that drifts in and out of focus due to shifts in textures and chords, not the melody. Often,
Burton
appears to be riding waves created by
Quesada
, murmuring, crooning, and testifying according to how the kaleidoscope shifts.
's falsetto feels like part of the tapestry masterminded by
, never quite pulling attention to either his words or melodies. While this ultimately means that
doesn't leave enough hooks behind to linger in the memory, the pulsating, colorful vibrations it creates as its spins are certainly an enjoyable way to get lost in the ether for a half hour or so. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine