Brightblack Morning Light
Matador, 2006
rating: 4/5
reviewer: grantpurdumthegumshoe

For many bands, the razor-thin line between hushed and too-damn-quiet-to-make-an-impression is a difficult one to straddle, lest they get cut and split right up the middle. To compensate, many twiddle their studio knobs upward, ignoring the inherent beauty of a song suite that's just quiet enough to lure you into a deep sleep and just loud enough to make you want to fight off the Sandman for a few more minutes. Just... a... few... more... [snooze]

Closer to a band of gypsies than any group Hendrix ever conjured, Brightblack Morning Light understand the responsibility that comes with playing off-the-red folk-blues that pitter-patters down the sidewalk like a paranoid goose-stepper. The Southerners-turned-Sanfranciscans whisper more than shout, but they know how to demand attention. Let this self-titled debut steep in its own warm juices for a spell; you'll see. The porno horns bleating through the misty ten-minutes-plus maze of "Star Blanket River Child" are the first sign of expansion. From there, an ever-widening chasm of ghostly chants, swamp-water rhythms, rusty trombones, hand-drum swats, and low-in-the-mix guitar swipes will swallow you whole.

Will you want to fight your way out? Why, when it's so easy to press 'Repeat'? As cluttered as this goulash sounds, the overall mood never elevates above a mere titter. Wake up to the sedate drone of Brightblack Morning Light and you might just forget about Folgier's Columbian Coffee Crystals AND Banhart's crippled crow. Completely separate sound-wise from the freak-folk scene that may or may not have contributed to their mystique and subsequent signing to Matador, Brightblack Morning Light might completely transcend their tent buddies if their wondrous debut record is any indication.

1. Everybody Daylight
2. Friend of Time
3. Fry Bread
4. Star Blanket River Child
5. All We Have Broken Shines
6. A River Could Be Loved
7. Amber Canyon Magik
8. Black Feather Wishes Rise
9. Come Another Rain Down
10. We Share Our Blanket With the Owl