Philadelphia’s junkyard rock band Dr. Dog are fronted by not one, but two strongly stylized singers. So to hear the band’s drummer stepping out from behind his kit to create as sublime a record as Palisades is frankly like discovering a secret weapon. Though Eric Slick also co-leads the band Lithuania, Palisades puts his talent on full display. The eight-song collection was culled during a period in 2014 when, according to Slick, he was wading deeply into meditation, dream therapy and mysticism. It shows. These songs float along like a slow river raft, occasionally bursting into colorful fits of guitar, sputtering percussion and keyboards.

Palisades only truly rocks at its very beginning: opener “You Became the Light” is a driving, psychedelic romp written about Slick’s first foray into meditation. The album then, notably, loosens its grip. The bright, instructive “You Are Not Your Mind” rides a popping drumbeat, unfolding like a flower into a playful chorus that takes a page from The Flaming Lips. Just add confetti cannons. On “Evergreen,” Slick plays the mad conductor, bringing an almost Kinks-ian orchestration to the sleepy song.

Palisades was recorded in the Anacortes, Wash. studio of Mt. Eerie’s Phil Elverum in 2014. Slick sat on the recordings for a few years before finishing them up in 2016. He took his time with Palisades, never rushing to completion. That level of comfort and ease shows up all over the record. Palisades is a daydream of a listen: warm, pleasant and lovely.