Personnel: Heather Trost (vocals, violin); Jeremy Barnes (vocals, accordion, grand piano, Jew's harp, percussion); Kristin Kelly (vocals); Joseph Garcia (oud); Dan Clucas (trumpet, cornet).

Recording information: Albuquerque, NM (2004); Enderby, England (2004); Prague, Czech Republic (2004).

On its 2005 sophomore outing, DARKNESS AT NOON, A Hawk & a Hacksaw offers another fine set of tunes inspired largely by European folk. Led by multi-instrumentalist Jeremy Barnes, formerly of Neutral Milk Hotel, the group anchors its songs on melodic piano and/or accordion lines (see "Pastelka on the Train"), which occasionally spiral out into experimental territory as on "The Moon Under Water," a busy, fast-paced number. Issued a year before Beirut's GULAG ORKESTAR (which incidentally features Barnes and AHAAH bandmate Heather Trost), DARKNESS AT NOON serves as a nice companion piece to that record, by providing an indie portal into traditionally minded European music.