Heaven Is Creepy

Most albums aren't worth the time it takes to listen to them. They're usually too pretentious, with pickers trying to play free-form / licks without the ability to remain focused. , the noir picker from San Francisco who moved to New York to become an in-demand session player and frequent collaborator with , doesn't have that problem. The tracks on this mostly instrumental set are packed with ideas and occupy a unique musical landscape that combines Western American twang, Spaghetti Western atmosphere, guitar dynamism, jazzy dissonance. and a blue, cinematic sweep that's almost visual in its approach. knows enough to keep his compositions short and sweet, concentrating on dynamics, mood, and tension to keep the tunes interesting. the title tune, has a sinister, late-night, film noir feel, accented by bassist 's swooping, low notes and drummer 's minimal percussion. 's bent notes scream through the air like a wounded ambulance limping away from the scene of an accident. has the feel of a dance tune, with producing pedal steel-like notes on his guitar, and tapping the strings to produce harmonics that hang in the air over the double-time cadence of the rhythm section. sounds like and dueling for supremacy in an Tulsa honky tonk. At first, brings to mind the theme music of a '60s spy flick, then it switches gears into a sinister, clanging, -like interlude, slowly becoming as quiet as the proverbial mouse with getting violin-like tones out of the guitar, possibly with the use of an Ebow, while freak out in the background. Every tune shows off 's dynamic range with unexpected shifts of tone, timbre, and tempo, always driving the music forward even as it twists and turns back on itself like a drunken rattlesnake chasing its own tail. The guest vocalists allow the guitarist to show off his discreet talents as an accompanist. sings 's in an emotional, manner, while lays back, dropping sparse harmonic overtones around her vocals. moans the vocal of while alternates between quiet strummed chords and lazy, reverb soaked single note runs. ~ j. poet