Reverberations of Non-Stop Traffic on Redding Road
unites
Pan¿American
(
Mark Nelson
, also of
Labradford
) with
Shimmy Disc
founder
Kramer
, who has been exploring ambient and new age music with releases like
Music for Films Edited by Moths
and the
Laraaji
collaboration
Baptismal
. This album sort of touches on the ambient Americana of the last two
records on
Kranky
, but feels much more detached and spacy, with gentle guitars loops playing off of each other and dissolving into the ether. The album's pieces often float serenely, but the duo's subtle experimentation sends their music down some unexpected paths. "Boundary Fence" is especially trippy, setting sparkling waves partially in reverse, yet it might take the listener a few moments to catch on. "A Mountain Is an Ancestor" dwells on a sublime moment of meandering melancholy, barely straying from a wistful guitar loop. "The Miner's Pale Child" finds comfort in a blanket of amplified fuzz, and submerges a dripping piano melody deep beneath it. "Groundwater" has a vibe recalling the moodiness of certain
Mo Wax
-era
DJ Shadow
tracks (minus the breakbeats), instantly transporting the listener to a familiar reflective zone. "On Redding Road" is more gaseous and chiming than melodic, and "Floating Epitaph" zeros in on a particularly lonesome guitar line, surrounded by unsettled piano fragments. Digital-only bonus track "For GW" goes in a more haunted direction, setting ghostly transmissions to a faintly throbbing pulse. Even the duo's darkest explorations feel soothing, and their sonic alchemy is quietly powerful. ~ Paul Simpson