Folk - Life on Earth is the kind of album you can judge by its cover. The portrait ofJesy Fortino - singer, songwriter and sole member of Tiny Vipers - captures the same sense of simultaneous intimacy and distance that pervades her slightly gothic, slightly psychedelic folk.

The soft focus and lens flair are visual counterparts for the album's hazy, organic sound, the product of a vintage analog recording studio and a healthy dose of old-timey reverb. Even the text, barely visible, stage whispers "understated." We could tell just by looking at it that this would be a great album for rainy days and really late nights, and we're not too proud to say we were proven correct.

Life On Earth was conceived at Fortino's home in Seattle and then fleshed out with meticulous, understated care by producer Andy Hernandez at his studio in Austin, Texas. With little embellishment, Fortino's songs retain a subdued heat, emitting a flickering glow across a bleak but beautifully raw landscape.

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