Heartbreaking and childlike, ?Music Heard Far Off? evokes the surreal poetry of good Dylan with a saner than Daniel Johnston, but still as awed a worldview. If Brian Wilson had been born in 1970, he would have made this record at some point.

Even semi-abrasive tracks like the muted metallic sheen of ?Planet Waters? or the lo-fi skronk of ?A Tree Waits? have awesomely positive vibes. There is hope by the bucketsful in the seeming chaos and improvisational daring.

This is a naked record too, as the duo of Jason Honea (Social Unrest) and Loren Chasse (Thuja) offer literate haikus that sound confessional even when surreal. Listening to ?Son of Man? in particular, one of the more stripped down tracks, feels like an invasion of privacy.

Guitars acoustic and electric drive the grooves, though there are touches of ambient and musique concrete, as well as a dull hiss that often appears as a kind of guide through this poetic and disorienting landscape.

The Child Readers can be trusted, and ?Music Heard Far Off? makes you want to trust. This is a gorgeous, if unsettling release that mixes the avant-garde and traditional, the hermetic and open, in stunning fashion. 9/10 -- Mike Wood (21 April, 2008)