Hypocritters is, at its heart, a concept album that tells the story of the Hyporitter, a being that Alanadale’s press release describes as “a creative and productive animal pushed and pulled by the many moods that assail her.” Do they succeed in expressing a concept this ambitious in a scant six songs? In my humble opinion, they do. Alanadale creates a deft sonic ecosystem for the titular critter to call home. Each instrument feels like it is a naturally occurring sound created by the world the Hypocritter lives in as opposed to an instrument working in service to the song. In the world of the Hypocritter, an ascending guitar riff is the sound of tiny bubbles floating up, up, up to the surface of some secluded pond, cascading piano is the wind gusting through green leaves and drums are the sound of clouds rolling across the sky. The songs feel organic and subtle, never beating the listener over the head with a concept that could devolve into heavy handed allegory or absurd mess. The lyrics are obscure enough to seem like the secret observations of a small animal trying to makes sense of a world they don’t quite understand. All and all the album makes for a solid Prog-folk album, that doesn’t skimp on the pastoral touches, yet keeps the tempos at a pace that feels invigoration and makes for an energetic listen. (Independent, alanadale.bandcamp.com) Dave Skene