Castanets first appeared in 2004, with an oddly mesmerizing collection of songs that inspired critics to throw around labels like “dark, poetic, hillbilly music” and “spare, synthesized Americana.” Castanets main guy Raymond Raposa, on his third full-length release, continues in the same vein, following a well-worn roadmap of traditional, acoustic music as his base, but then veering off to explore those unpaved, unmarked roads few others travel: pedal steel guitars co-exist with icy, synthesized percussion; Raposa’s pinched, sad voice lays atop electronic handclaps, which give way to soothing horns. The album opens with a bang, twangy guitar picking and Raposa’s lonely, distant voice on “Rain Will Come” assaulted two minutes in by a brutal, screeching barrage of electronic noise. The sweet and mournful “This is the Early Game” follows, with its soft, female vocal backing and sighing pedal steel guitar assuring us all will be well again. A bona fide love song, “Westbound, Blue,” picks up the pace with a strong downbeat and a somewhat traditional arrangement, while tracks like “Sway” and “And the Swimming” offer intimate, sensual moments that evoke feelings of hope and comfort. Don’t let any quick sampling you might do deter you; the work as a whole will engage and entrance you before you know it.