Devotion (2008)

This Baltimore band manages to conjure an impressive, enveloping sound for a mere two-piece. The lo-fi arrangements on their second full-length, Devotion — a faint organ riff here, a distant chime there, a mournful chant floating above it all — smartly tease the border between ''pretty'' and ''eerie.'' But the tempos range from leisurely to glacial, and the songs often feel as if they've been left half-written. Despite the gorgeous production, listening to 11 of these ragged dirges in a row requires unconditional Devotion. B