Released on
Calvin Johnson
's
K Records
,
Desolation Wilderness
'
White Light Strobing
evokes that same fluttery feeling you might expect from the title. Along with guitarist
Andrew Dorsett
, bassist
Adam Oelsner
, and drummer
Evan Hashi
playing their respective instruments,
Nicolas Zwart
plugged synthesizers, guitars, xylophones, and glockenspiels into dusty tube amps and vintage effects units to drape everything in a sweeping blanket of washed out spring reverb and vibrating tremolo. It's a down-home, cozy, alt-country meets shoegaze tone made popular by bands like
My Morning Jacket
and
Galaxie 500
with a slightly softer and warmer approach. Like on those bands' recordings,
Zwart
's lyrics hover breezily in the background, hauntingly like voices in hazy dreams. They're too liquefied to be deciphered easily, but between the oohs and ahs are lulling images of love and loss all swirling together in one ethereal dynamic that's perfect for hammock relaxation. ~ Jason Lymangrover