Brent Knopf has a lot of friends, and he called upon some of the most talented ones to lend a hand on his 2009 debut as Ramona Falls, Intuit. For the follow-up, the stirring Prophet, the one-time Menomena man had more of a band, in Matt Sheehy, Dave Lowensohn and Paul Alcott, who also plays in another of Portland's finest, Parenthetical Girls. And there are moments on the new record when Ramona Falls even recalls the baroque pop of P Girls or even The Decemberists, Ben Gibbard and at times flickers of Sufjan. Not bad musical company to be keeping, we say.

Prophet truly sparkles, one track more rousing than the one before it. Highlights for our money include "Bodies of Water" which you can practically skip stones across; the jaunty bounce and hand claps of "Archimedes Plutonium"; the swirling, string and guitar-soaked sweetness of "Proof"; and "Sqworm", chugging along with equals parts shimmer and menace, as Knopf sings "I put the lamb's blood on my door".

You'll come across such quasi-religious references throughout the record. And as pop goes, this is pretty transcendent. We're not the only fans either, apparently. Here's what others are saying:

Consequence of Sound: There’s hardly a moment that doesn’t engage the listener or any track that stands out as being completely hopeless. 

Music is Amazing: The sophomore release from Ramona Falls, is an album that recalls the experimental beauty of Laughing Stock by Talk Talk, and the unabashed earnestness of Death Cab For Cutie.

Earbuddy: True to his word, Ramona Falls barely resembles Menomena’s DNA, and as a new beginning of sorts for Ramona Falls as a standalone project, it establishes a new identity for Brent Knopf’s project as a mix between Death Cab for Cutie and Sufjan Stevens.

That's what they are saying. What do you say? Check out Prophet - album number two from Brent Knopf's Ramona Falls.