Maudlin of the Well has posted their latest album, Part the Second, online for download. MotW are giving this album away for free, but they are asking for a “pay-what-you-want” donation, which can be done quickly and easily via PayPal.

Part the Second is a culmination of previously unfinished MotW tracks, and the support of their fans, as Toby puts it:

In June of 2008, I posted a blog entry (at kayodot.net/toby) in which i said I had been remembering some old and unrecorded motW-era tunes, and was amazed how clearly I could recall them, even though they had not really ever existed. The song most in my mind was what became track 01 here on Part The Second, and my initial blog post was mostly focused on the idea of doing just this one song (keeping in mind the cost of a motW-scale recording). Fortunately, fans who read the blog posting became excited to help turn this imagination into reality. I would like to especially point to the motW-myspace adminsitrator, Chris, for having a strong hand in this. In addition to Chris, other special cases of help came in the form of relatvely large donations, without which, we surely would not have been able to do more than just one song for you all. So extra special thanks from the band and from all the fans is due to these people, who I won’t mention specifically by name unless they ask me to (for privacy purposes).

If you’ve enjoyed any of Toby Driver’s other projects such as Kayo Dot or Tartar Lamb, then you are bound to get some pleasure out of Part the Second. Overall, this album feels more refined and lacks the harsh black metal brake downs that I had come to associate with Maudlin of the Well. Although it does hold true to the core of MotW’s previous work. Part the Second can best be described as a melodic avant-garde album, incorporating rock, jazz, and orchestral elements. The quick change ups between Mia Matsumiya’s melancholic violins and the the bands faster tempo keeps you on your toes, while Toby’s haunting vocals provide a sense of cohesion throughout the album.