D. Stine and Doug Fogelson return to LAD with their latest long player, Mirror/Leaks. Recorded shortly after their beguiling first collaboration Dusk Breathing, a slightly different approach is evident here. This followed their desire to chart a different course, as well as new geographic realities. Rather than being led entirely by their improvisational muses, the pair approached the recording dates for this album with more of a sense of intentionality. Shortly after the sessions wrapped, D. Stine departed Chicago for pastures new–namely across the ocean to Cork, Ireland. After settling into his new home/studio and dusting off these recordings, Stine found the basic tracks were strong enough to support some additional musical ideas. And so he let the synergy found in these foundational recordings guide the album to fruition. The results represent an evolution of the sounds that embody Dusk Breathing. There’s a sense of deepening musical sophistication in these pieces that’s underpinned by a subtly expanded choice of instrumentation. As on their first album, Fogelson and Stine’s harmonica interplay is still given plenty of space to breathe, but the maturation of their fundamental ideas is appropriately extrapolated by the light handed addition of piano and bass. While there is definite sense of spiritual and sonic continuity from Dusk Breathing, Mirror/Leaks constitutes a large step forward for this project in every respect.