Pitchfork

Castanets songwriter and principal member Ray Raposa made use of "three weeks alone in a Nevada desert motel room" to record his newest album of minimal folk, according to a press release. Appropriately enough, Castanets' fourth full-length and follow-up to last year's In the Vines is called City of Refuge.

Don't let all the solace fool you, though. City of Refuge also features "minimal overdubs" from Sufjan Stevens, Jana Hunter, Dawn Smithson (Jessamine), Scott Tuma (Boxhead Ensemble, Souled American), and co-producer Ero Gray. Gray also remixed the album into a dub version called Dub Refuge.

Asthmatic Kitty will release City of Refuge on October 7. The label will also issue Dub Refuge, credited to Castanets vs. Ero. That vinyl-only release is limited to 500 copies and arrives November 4.

As if the two Refuge albums weren't enough, Castanets have also finished an album of Hank Williams covers for a shortly forthcoming release. The band's only upcoming gig at the moment is a CMJ appearance October 24 at New York City's Cake Shop.

City of Refuge:

01 Celestial Shore
02 High Plain 1
03 The Destroyer
04 Prettiest Chain
05 Refuge 1
06 The Quiet
07 Glory B
08 High Plain 3
09 I'll Fly Away
10 The Hum
11 Savage
12 Shadow Valley
13 High Plain 2
14 Refuge 2
15 After the Fall

Dub Refuge:

01 Celestial Dub
02 High Plain Dub 1
03 The Dubstroyer
04 Dub Vulture Chain
05 Dub Refuge 1
06 The Quiet Dub
07 Glory Dub
08 high Plain Dub 3
09 I'll Dub Away
10 Hum Dub
11 Dub Savage
12 Dubby Baby
13 High Dub Chaos 2
14 City of Dubfuge
15 After Dub Fall