Spencer Krug (a.k.a. Moonface) is a heartfelt and intelligent singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist whose talents exceed the limits of music formatting. He’s already contributed mightily to albums by Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown, and many other groups, but none have provided him with the right format for these grand-piano based songs, which bleed with the emotional intensity of Meatloaf but with spare arrangements that keep the songs within a small club’s reach (piano and vocal). This isn’t even like previous Moonface releases. From the first notes of “Barbarian,” one imagines Krug alone on a stage bearing his soul under a single spotlight—sitting at a piano and only stopping long enough to denote a new composition or sneak a sip of water. “Everyone Is Noah, Everyone Is the Ark” adds trills and vocal gymnastics, and from there the songs flow like a guilty confession that’s been pent up for too long. Fans of Scott Walker, Laura Nyro, Robert Wyatt, and other complex, unpredictable songwriters should thrill to unravel these musical and lyrical mysteries.