Euphoria

The past can be a window on the present, and Williams's distinctive blend of power pop, orchestrated soft rock, folk rock and jangle-pop takes full flight on Euphoria. The album presents a homage to things romantic and rare. This powerful and catchy set of songs, matched with a more intricate and layered production than his 2008 solo debut Carefree, retains a uniform feel despite having been recorded and mixed in several studios. The twelve songs on Euphoria live in a dizzy head space of quiet desperation, progressing from the loving and warm "Revelations" to complacency in "Sufferer," then back to the optimistic "Right Direction" directly into the claustrophobic, pounding chorus of "How is There Always Room?" Lush and layered, Williams chooses this colorful world to make light of dark thoughts.

This is Williams's statement of musical intent and he's been carefully crafting and tweaking the songs for maximum effect, building them up and then paring them back down to find the ideal balance of immediacy and depth, of melodic richness and lyrical concision. Euphoria is Williams' finest record yet, a very personal work of great beauty, as thought-provoking as it is musically intoxicating.