From the very beginning, Over the Ocean set out to create music that stops listeners in their tracks. Listening to the band's new album, "Be Given to the Soil," is as if you were sitting in a room watching them sweat out every ounce of passion that was poured tirelessly into each song. Thematically and musically, the arrangements are darker, heavier and sparse at points than the band's previous effort, all the while delivering the same level of lyrical complexity that fans grew to love on their debut. "Be Given to the Soil" swan dives right into the soul, plunging the unexplained inner depths of the human condition. From start to finish the record offers raw, gut-wrenching wrestling with the eternal. Each song proclaims the loudness of humanity’s inner life – truth, doubt and struggle wrapped up in a disturbingly clear package. In an era of the immediate and temporary, Over the Ocean has crafted something timeless. "Be Given to the Soil" is not for the faint of heart and mustn't be approached half-heartedly. You will either be sonically immersed into a landscape of seeming sonic dysfunction held together by a heart-piercing rhythm section, or you will refuse its advances altogether. "Be Given to the Soil" is available now at digital retailers and on limited edition gatefold double vinyl on Seattle's Spartan Records. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.