Unquiet Grave, Vol. 3 CD

'Neither Darwin nor I wanted this record to sound predictable,' she says. 'I approached Darwin with full trust and gave him complete freedom to explore arrangements, sounds, and textures- our intention was to uproot my songs from 'genres' like 'folk' and 'rock.

''Bobruk and Smith employed some interesting strategies to upend those staid classifications and give The Safety Match Journal its fresh sound. At Cacophony Recorders (Darwin Smith's and Eric Wofford's studio) Smith used a wide array of non-traditional instruments - an old doorbell and hubcap rims dipped in water - against more orchestral instruments like the bass clarinet and cello to embellish Bobruk's poetic, heartfelt songs. Then Smith took it a step further, using studio alchemy like tracking speed and unconventional processing to subtly alter the finished tracks. The result is a canvas of lush, textured, and ambient arrangements.

The next phase of their plan was recruiting several of Austin's top musicians to bring Bobruk's compositions to life: former New Bohemians Brad Houser and John Bush; Cowboy Junkies alum Kim Deschamps; Alejandro Escovedo and Patty Griffin cellist Brian Standefer; acclaimed singer-songwriter Ana Egge; and Austin music scene mainstay Will Sexton, to name a few.

The Safety Match Journal includes the first song Bobruk ever wrote, 'Dulcinea.

' Like several other songs on the album, it reflects her deep interest in literature; other literary touchstones for the album are Shaun Tan's The Red Tree, Homer's Odyssey and Sinclair Lewis' Babbitt. Bobruk is equally inspired by visual art. 'I think musicians often work in terms of visuals,' she says. 'For me, when I write, it's as if a movie is playing in my mind. I don't know exactly where it's going or what it's about, but my song comes from putting words to the images.