CD of The Week

Of all of the forefathers of the bright-burning, fast-fading "chillwave" subgenre (Neon Indian, Memory Tapes, Toro y Moi, etc.), South Carolina's Ernest Greene was always the most, well, chill. On his promising 2009 EP Life of Leisure, he perfected a kind of seductive slow glide over six lushly languid bedroom pop gems that more than lived up to his Washed Out moniker. That glide hits dreamy new heights on his masterful debut LP Within and Without.

Whether it's the influence of touring with Beach House or the production by Merriweather Post Pavilion maestro Ben Greene, the album sports a more expansive, layered sound. New subtle sonic flourishes abound, like snare cracks on insistent slow-burning banger "Echoes" and swelling cellos on the achingly lovely "Far Away." There isn't anything quite on the instant classic level of "Feel it All Around" here (though "Amor Fati" comes close, its beat skipping like a stone across a pond), but with more room to play and breathe, these new songs demonstrate more patience with Greene's craft, and reward it for the listener. If you've been following him from the beginning, you won't be disappointed in this continuation and perfection of what was unfairly dismissed as a fad sound. If you only know him as the guy who did the theme song for Portlandia - pretty awesome in and of itself - you'll hopefully be surprised and impressed by what else he can do.

This is a perfect summer record that will find longevity in both speakers and headphones as the nights get longer and the air gets cooler. In other words, you'll feel it all around.