Austin's Balmorhea has always made beautiful music, but that pulchritude has often belied the underlying sensuality that makes their music so inviting. The band takes a giant leap forward, embracing that sensuality, on their bold and variegated new album All is Wild, All is Silent. Now a six piece with drums and upright bass, the band known for their understated simplicity and restraint has produced an album joyous, haunting, and even a little sexy. Throughout the album you can almost hear hearts pounding in the sun as the music swells and aches. Some of the music's most surprising moments manage to be both subdued and antagonistic, acting as a balm for the frazzled soul and as an impetus for revisiting (and reevaluating) some of the most magical and the painful times in your past. Part of the band's metamorphosis was inevitable with the addition of drums, upright bass, and the frequent use of wordless vocals provided by band members and special guest Jesy Fortino of Tiny Vipers (Sub Pop.) The way they incorporate these new elements into their songs is remarkable, but even more impressive is the growth and maturity of their songwriting skills. The opener "Settler" beams with a rural down-home aesthetic that could equally inspire whisky drinkin' or silent prayer. The following track "Harm and Boon" makes sharp turns from painfully vulnerable to soaring and triumphant without relying upon the formulaic structures overused by so many of today's instrumental groups. "Remembrance" with its intensely emotional vocals and narrative banjo melody, showcases their remarkable ability to tell rich and meaningful stories without words. The album closes with the haunting and simple "November 1, 1832," sounding like a long-distance call to a home that you can never go home to.