I haven't heard their new one Desert Ocean.

Highways and Sands were in my top ten of their respective years. Great ambient washes of guitar textures... I used to leave them in the car stereo for weeks and listen while driving until I was hearing them more with my blood than with my ears.

Has anyone heard the new one? Is this too ambient for Obernerian taste? And more importantly, has anyone heard them live? I am seeing this next week at a place calle The Attic in Santa Cruz... very small venue.

I think the new one is about 1/2 great and 1/2 okay - definitely not a stinker, but it never quite reaches the heights of his previous best work.

I seem to recall catching them (him?) early on in college (1996ish), but I can't really remember if it was good or bad.

I guy I work with grew up in Champaign, IL and is good friends with Henry.
Apparently he appears on/co-wrote a couple of the songs on the first Lanterna record. or something.