On his third album, Elijah McLaughlin continues to prove himself to be one of the most adventurous and progressive artists in the modern wave of solo guitar music.

Available now through Astral Spirits, III finds the Chicago-based musician exploring new sonic possibilities by weaving synthesizer drones, piano, dulcimer and cello into his acoustic fingerpicking fantasias.

The LP is filled with pieces that utilize the textures that arise when combining these disparate sounds, while also finding ways to blend them together harmoniously, so they sing together as one great, multifaceted musical voice. This is perhaps most evident on the closing “Coloring of Lake/Sky,” with its twinkling pianos, groaning cello and synths that babble like a rushing brook, providing the perfect backing for McLaughlin’s precise yet frenzied fingerpicking. The track, much like the rest of the record, is both pastoral and futuristic. It’s a tasteful step forward that would please those with a wide palate.

Full of warm and bucolic compositions that will easily relax your mind and comfort your spirit, give Elijah McLaughlin Ensemble’s III a listen today.

-KH