Always-touring duo Handmade Moments is lighter musically and heavier politically than ever on their fifth album in ten years. As performers, Anna Moss and Joel Ludford are loose and goofy, bringing alto sax, bass clarinet, sousaphone, mandolin, guitar and beatboxing to the mix. As songwriters they are deadly serious on End the Wars, inhabiting dark psyches from American society unrecognizable in pop. What a powerful sign of true artistry, channeling righteous outrage into soulful joy. This new record gets better and better with each listen. - Gavin Dahl