Consider the Pacific coast; consider the southern reaches of countries that include Pacific coastline. This reviewer has, for several years now, shouted to the heavens about the amazing diversity of Vancouver’s music scene, but an album like Liz Janes’s Poison & Snakes is a sharp reminder that San Diego is home to an equally talented group of musicians making music on their own terms, ignoring genre lines and delving straight to the heart of atmospheric, passionate sounds.

Poison & Snakes is Janes’s second album, and consists of ten songs built around her deep, rich voice. An obvious comparison, in terms of the strength of the vocals and the stylistic variety shown here, would be Neko Case’s Blacklisted – far from a bad thing. “Wonderkiller” could be an undiscovered Phil Spector-produced gospel tune from the 1960s, while “Streetlight” speeds along on a series of jagged guitar riffs. And “Desert” is a sprawling, haunting piece that rumbles softly, trumpet occasionally audible.

There’s a heavily collaborative vibe here, with members of the Black Heart Procession, Rocket From the Crypt, Three Mile Pilot, and Castanets putting in appearances. But for all that, it’s Janes’s bold voice, musical vision, and philosophical lyrical concerns that hold the album together and keep it engrossing. – Tobias Carroll