Philadelphia's Jon Barthmus surrounds himself with flowers in one promo shot for Sun Airway's generally soaring second album Soft Fall. In another, he's walking through a manicured garden. And why not? "Lush" is a word you often encounter in descriptions of Sun Airway, and Barthmus probably wouldn't object to "florid" either. But as big and sweeping a Soft Fall can be--its first video, for the lovely "Close", shot on the beaches and the open fields of Australia, drives home that feel--it's also tight, and modern. 

Its electronic moods are alternately dreamy and rocking, but also whimsical and current. Barthmus told MTV Hive this week that he took inspiration for the record from the palace of Versailles, but specifically a Murakami exhibit at the palace, which is perfect. Grand and epic, and also playful and utterly modern. 

There's the luxy, rich sway of "Black Noise", the shimmery "Wild Palms"and the gauzy propulsion of "New Movements". There's much to discover in Soft Fall, so get to it: the rather stellar second release from Sun Airway.