Radical Knitting Circle

When Bees No Longer Fly We’re All Going to Die and Oh What a Death It Will Be is the full name of this release, and like its title, the music contained within can be dauntingly dense, but it’s also engaging, enthralling and enjoyable — especially if you’re not one to be drawn in by the pull of instant pop gratification. Like Isaac Brock leading a precocious, ensemble of avant-pop troubadors, with Rowlf from the Muppets pitching in periodically on lead and backing vocals, Radical Knitting Circle seamlessly stitches together a pleasing patchwork of styles, threading in strands of everything from found sounds and rustic folk to loungy jazz and proggy steampunk. You’re more likely to find yourself reveling in the richness of the sounds being made here than singing along, as the arrangements, textures and performances here tend to be more memorable than the actual songs themselves — but there’s very little chance you’ll be at all disappointed with what you hear.