M. Ward transitions from lo-fi troubadour to versatile virtuoso, taking his old-timey folk through the blues' sticky backwoods, rock's rambunctious pubs and pop's strange alleys. In this homage to the titular Vincent, Ward faces the many aspects of death. The high-flying piano-pounder "Vincent O'Brien" and the woozy indie-pop shuffle "Fool Says" both add light to dark dirges like "Sad, Sad Song" and "Dead Man", which brood in dusky desert blues and stark Americana. The Bowie cover "Let's Dance" slides in seamlessly as a sleepy, slinky sigh of relief.