Phil Carney, who'd played guitar for Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon, teamed up with keyboardist Chris Connolly as Desertshore, a largely instrumental group that played in sepia tones similar to his previous gigs. Friendship being what it is, it wasn't difficult to ask Mark Kozelek to stop by the studio to sing on a "few" tracks, as he had from time to time. Except this time, all the songs lent themselves to vocals, and Kozelek's workload increased (also playing bass and guitar) until the album became a true collaboration. Kozelek's solo career was centering on his love for nylon-string guitar ballads (and a mellow synthetic collaboration with the Album Leaf's Jimmy Lavalle). So hearing him belt out "Livingstone Bramble" here comes as an aggressive surprise that's continued throughout the successive tunes, climaxing with the brutal confessional "Tavoris Cloud." Low's Alan Sparhawk contributes additional vocals to the chilling "You Are Not of My Blood."