Sometimes a record will slip through the cracks. This is such a record, and for missing out on its breathtaking beauty and simplistic majesty for all these months, allow me this very public apology. The work of Joshua Medina & Paurl Walsh is restrained and unbound. The combination of isolated guitar and thick effects is nothing new, except Medina’s guitar — in its quiet reflection — is far from isolated; and Walsh’s wash of keyboards, samples and effects dare not swallow silence but rather invite it. Not only do Medina and Walsh play to each other’s strengths, they play to a whole genre’s best qualities. No good idea is cut off to fit into the mold of time, yet nothing drags out beyond its apex. Again, restrained. Not too far removed from the synergy of moody duos such as A Winged Victory for the Sullen, there is far more intent to engage guitar in its most traditional elements while still pressing its advantage toward the loudest and most feral of its instinctual inclinations. Yet Medina and Walsh never raise their voices too loudly or reach for to the booming roars their musical peers often aspire. This is proving a difficult record to put critique to because there is nothing worth adding. It slipped through the cracks and all I can offer is an apology and a plea. To anyone reading this, do not let it fall through your fingers. Do not place a bookmark or write it down and wait for a more appropriate time to listen. Take it as it is, as it comes.
More about: Joshua Medina & Paurl Walsh
