Sadness, sorrow and melancholy are not preferred vacation destinations, but they do make for interesting postcards. Especially when delivered from the hands of an artist such as Seattle's Graig Markel, a singersongwriter, guitarist for-hire and former frontman for the late '90s band New Sweet Breath. His latest collection of solo material sounds like one long, moody ode to doldrums but is actually comprised of 11 dreamy parts. While lush and expansive from start to finish, the acoustic-based songs ebb and flow into one another with ease while shimmering layers of lap-steel and electric guitar give each track its own distinct, soaring melody. -- Shawn Telford