The Good Night is a wonderfully ironic title for Victory at Sea’s third and strongest record; though their slow, simmering sound revels in nocturnal languor, the pervasive aura is anything but restful, evoking the stark mysteries and creeping dread of the darkness with unnerving precision. Comparisons to PJ Harvey’s early Dry-era work seem inevitable, but the brute emotional force of Mona Elliott’s haunted vocals and grim lyrics is tempered by moments of unexpected simplicity and beauty that set The Good Night apart. Its structure is likewise unique: Opening with the smoldering “Mary in June,” the record seems to crumble in a kind of psychic free fall, with the songs growing progressively starker and more affecting as they count down. – Jason Ankeny
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