Painting Pictures Of A War

Listening to *Painting Pictures of a War* feels like floating in a sensory deprivation tank at an expensive spa. The songs instantly lull you into a state of calm with their rippling piano chords and burbling electronics, but the experience is ultimately less about relaxation than intense contemplation. Aquilo frontman Tom Higham delivers light electro-soul ballads with the heaviest of hearts, ruminating on a relationship’s end from the early warning signs (“Never Seen You Get So Low”) to the nasty arguments (“Better Off Without You”) and rueful aftermath (“Losing You”).