Athens, GA Venice Is Sinking perform orchestral pop, Americana, slowcore and / or space rock depending on whom you ask. Formed in 2003, this five-piece outfit eschews facile categorization. Their sound is familiar but hard to pin down, rooted in cinematic arrangements, subtle genre tweaks, and clear, ringing harmonies. The band s 2006 debut lp, Sorry About The Flowers, gained nation attention for the crystalline male / female vocals of singers Daniel Lawson and Karolyn Troupe and for Troupe s deft layering of her instrument of choice, the viola, which makes few appearances throughout rock history. The new album, AZAR , finds Venice Is Sinking widening its palette and deepening its focus, tackling the idea of location s ability to influence our lives. Growing musically since the band s debut, the group, challenged by engineer Scott Solter (Mountain Goats, John Vanderslice, Pattern Is Movement), shed the space rock designation, from the wide-eyed Iron Range to the David Lynch prom theme of Wetlands Dancehall , from the heart wrenching Young Master Sunshine to the sardonic pop of Okay . AZAR is a dynamic work of beauty and ambition: the songs are meticulous, vertical creations, tackling tiny, specific moments and exploding them outwards.