“Well I ain’t gonna live in your world no more,” growls Firewater’s Tod A. on the opening track of the group’s latest, The Golden Hour. And he sounds like a man who means it.

In 2005, after the breakup of his marriage, he split the scene and ended up trekking through Israel, Turkey, India and Istanbul, immersing himself in the music and moods of each country and recruiting and recording with indigenous musicians. The result is an effectively eclectic mix of emotional, deeply personal lyrics with exotic world music beats.

It’s an angry, sad, self-deprecating tale of a man trying to find himself by getting lost, a collision of cultures and sounds, and a spicy musical stew that gets better with each taste.

Grade: A

The Golden Hour is currently available.