Burning Like the Midnight Sun continues in the atmospheric post-punk vein that the Choir has made its own for 25 years. Derri Daugherty remains a uniquely evocative singer, bringing a spacey sort of tenderness to Steve Hindalong’s spiritually informed lyrics. In these tracks, the band deals with themes of loss and acceptance, offering salutes to departed comrades (“A Friend So Kind”) and solace to young romantics (“That Melancholy Ghost”). The band draws upon its road experiences for the ominous “Mr. Chandler” and the wistful “I’m Sorry I Laughed.” More explicitly spiritual is “The Word Inside the Word” (an upbeat message of compassion) and “It Should Have Been Obvious” (an unsparing look at religious blindness). The band’s blend of harsh and gentle textures comes together in “Say Goodbye To Neverland,” an eerie ode to lost innocence. As always, the Choir’s subtle layering of effects-laden guitars, pulsating percussion and moody saxophones achieves a gorgeous shimmer.