The facts, to this point, boiled down: Kevin Devine is a largely slept-on Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter quietly and constantly adding idiosyncratic chapters to his unique success story, building an international fanbase across genre lines through the damnedest combination of working his ass off and consistently getting better at what he does. Weird, right?

"Brother's Blood," his fifth record and first with Manchester Orchestra's Favorite Gentlemen record label, is the most resounding evidence of that ethic and maturation - a sprawling, confident mission statement about conscience, culture, and personality. So while it certainly isn't Kevin's fault you don't know his stuff already, we won't hold it against you. Now's a great time to get on board. "Brother's Blood" is a response to the three years Kevin spent touring relentlessly behind "Put Your Ghost To Rest," his Rob Schnapf-produced fourth record initially released by Capitol/EMI and later re-issued by Brand New's Procrastinate! Music Traitors following Devine's dismissal from Capitol during its bloody merger with Virgin. The "indie-rocker forced to punch out of the corner by the panicked and impatient major label system" story is hardly a new one; coming out not only relatively unscathed but with a healthier and more thriving career than when you went in is much rarer.