The members of this Sterling, Virginia fivesome must have figured that they hit on something on their sophomore album, the Bon Iver/Iron & Wine-ish Mount Hope, as they’ve outdone even that effort on Old Friends.

Right from the opening Shins-like “Yellow Hall,” they steadfastly forge lush, fecund folk-pop that’s in step not only with Simon & Garfunkel's Bookends classic “Old Friends,” but with contemporary freak-folk favorites and Sub Pop bands-with-beards breakouts (Fleet Foxes, Blitzen Trapper, Band of Horses).

Except the Pygmies are darker, less Crosby, Stills & Nash and Brian Wilson and more the 4AD-style “peaceful yet somehow ominous too” Zeitgeist.

Chris Taylor and mates’ idea of mysticism is a long day’s journey into night, right through the seven-minute epic closer “Pals,” and like the Eugene O’Neill drama, there’s much under the surface that will lead to shuddering.