If Tasseomancy’s name, referring to the act of divining the future with tea leaves, wasn’t enough of a clue as to the stylings of this Toronto two-piece, the title of their fifth album should seal the deal. “Do easy” was a philosophy espoused by beat writer William Burroughs that advocated carrying out tasks in the most relaxed fashion possible, “like a gentle old cop making a soft arrest”. Here, twins Sari and Romy Lightman (formerly of electronic outfit Austra) translate that concept into a languid and mystical form of baroque folk pop that alternates between seducing and confounding the listener. Missoula resembles Joanna Newsom performing at David Lynch’s Club Silencio, while opening track Dead Can Dance & Neil Young manages to evoke both artists yet also finding room for a steelpan solo. That fondness for meshing together unlikely sounds can sometimes be Do Easy’s undoing – witness the title track’s unwise combination of skronking jazz sax and what sounds like the demo setting from a 1980s Casio keyboard – but when everything clicks into place, it’s hypnotic.
