Mystic Chord Christopher Gunst served with space-couontry souls Beachwood Sparks, his partner Jen Cohen is an alumnus of San Francisco twee-orchestra The Aislers Set, while producer Elvin Estella inhabits hip-hop's more avant frontiers. Vastly different worlds, perhaps, but Tree Colored See achieves a most bucolic harmony. For "Decisions, Decisions," Estella welds the vaporous psych-folk melodies to sleek Heard It Through the Grapevine beats, but mostly he's imbellishing Gunst and Cohen's swooning lullabies with strings, flute, harp, and percussion, a deftly psychadelic production that greatly enriches Mystic Chords' whispered whimsy. A sensual, perfectly summery album that's not above a campfire sing-song (Coyote's Song) or Zen meditations (Broaden a New Sound's mantra of "The wind, a bird, and a broken branch"), Tree Colored See's rural fetish is seductive. - Mojo |