"Their tunes remain as sad as a burned-out house and as lonesome as a broke and crying drunk under a dim street lamp after closing time ... Their ability to offer an impression of a lyric line rather than the thing itself, as well as a series of minimal chord changes that stretch seemingly to infinity, is more pronounced than before. On Patchouli Blue, the band reinforce those traits, but they explore the intricacies of harmony with more emphasis, making this one of their most poetic, affecting albums yet"