Yesterday, gloomy New Orleans duo Belong released the highly anticipated follow-up to its 2006 debut, October Language. Released on Kranky, Common Era finds the band working in more overtly pop territory, experimenting with voice and melody in the foreground rather than burying it in fuzz. That said, “Never Came Close” comes off the new record, and is anything but crystal-clear pop. The ghost of Ian Curtis lurks in the song’s dulled drums while a warm fog of processed voice and guitar coalesces into a wonderfully ominous brew.

Never Came Close