Every now and then an album just wallops you. Every single track, you keep thinking “How have I never heard this before!?”

This is one of those times for me.

Kramer (born Stephen Michael Bonner) is a storied figure in unique and experimental music circles who deserves his own separate post on his career and contributions to music from both his own work and the artists he produced and promoted – for today, I’m going to do my best to keep this focused on this one singular album, because it just takes me by surprise every time I listen to it.

While the music itself may not be reinventing the wheel, Kramer’s remarkable sonic vocabulary stretches out over 11 intriguing and heartfelt songs, seamlessly blending intimate lyricism with an almost whimsical sadness, both in tone and subject matter. The general vision of the record feels very cohesive, as Kramer plays most of the instruments himself (though the album also features Sean Eden of Luna on guitar and Damon Krukowski of Galaxie 500 on drums). While the songs can give off a sort of vulnerable melancholy, they never come off timid or weak – on the contrary, Kramer’s voice, both in actual vocals and the general message he conveys through these tunes, is crystal clear and powerful.

At different moments over the course of this record, you could tell someone that a different artist was playing – Animal Collective, Ween, Simon and Garfunkel, The Velvet Underground, Sonic Youth, The Beatles (this one is cheating as there is a Beatles cover here in You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away), and it would be believable. Obviously someone this entrenched in outside-the-box music would find themselves in such notable company, but Kramer really does put his own unique spin on each of these different sonic facets.

You can hear psychedelia, Canterbury, grunge, pop, and more over the course of this album. Whether you’re feeling whimsical and want to skip through a sunny meadow or brood in the smoky back corner of a bar, there’s something for you here.

Operating largely outside mainstream popularity, Kramer remains a steadfast and reliable source of interesting and thoughtful music, constantly pushing both his own boundaries and introducing the world to mind-melting artists and new ways of approaching music in general. I’m glad to be alive at the same time as such an inspiring artist.