| Could someone please hand these guys an award for "Worst Band Name" and throw in "Worst Album Title" while they’re at it? The problem here is that both band name and title are misleading, for Tree Colored See by Nobody & Mystic Chords of Memory is a stunning sonic journey, a landscape lighting up slowly before one’s ears and eyes. At times reminiscent of Animal Collective, the music has a dreamlike, suspended quality, despite having roots in folk. Opener “The Seed” sets the tone with a pulsating, computer-generated drum beat, shards of a melody picked on an acoustic guitar, and a sprinkling of subtle sound effects. It is too easy to classify this album as “folktronica,” for Tree Colored See, a collaboration of producer Nobody (Elvin Estella), Beachwood Sparks’ Chris Gunst, and Jen Cohen of Aislers Set is more adventurous than meditative. It is outward-looking and boundless rather than restricted. On tracks such as “Walk in the After Light,” “Softer Sail,” and the beautiful “Broaden a New Sound,” the band foregoes folk altogether and offers perfect pop-rock songs. “Broaden a New Sound” breaks down midway and sounds for a few magnificent seconds like a classic Disney movie soundtrack, while “Floating” is reminiscent of the space-rock of The Flaming Lips. Chris Gunst’s vocals are gentle throughout. His voice never rises above a sort of hushed breath of air, yet they lend a sweet, poignant quality to simple observations like, “A walk sounded good/maybe find an old bench made of wood/there I could look around/bring up all the things that were bringing me down/and let go.” Tree Colored See offers so many sonic diversions and wanderings off the beaten track that it goes by almost too quickly. This album is rich with melodies and becomes more intricate, revealing, and satisfying with every listen. - Loose Record |
1XLP/Out Of Print