Though it
happens very rarely, there are certain times when a
piece of music
is able to transcend a mere listening
experience by it sheer beauty. During those
times, the
music inspires the soul, alludes to dreams, and speaks
directly to one’s
heart in a language that is fluent
only to that heart. When this occurs, the result
is an
indescribable affirmation of one’s spirit…a feeling
that one is relatable…that
there are others who
understand that person, and who are able to somehow
convey
that person’s innermost longings into sound. For
this reviewer, this existential
listening experience
occurs with precious few CD’s, such as The Prayer
Chain’s
Mercury, The Melody Unit’s
Choose Your Own Adventure, parts of Loveless
by
My Bloody Valentine, and The Inbetween
Time by Common Children. On these
CD’s, my
soul embraces the music, and I can’t help but be amazed
at how these
releases capture the essence of my being.
It’s a rare thing to feel these emotions about a CD, so
when it happens, I overflow
with enthusiasm. Hammock’s
full-length CD release of atmospheric music, entitled
Kenotic, is one of “those” releases for me.
Somehow, the duo of Marc Byrd and
Andrew
Thompson are able to convey otherworldly feelings
through their use of
gentle guitar melodies, delay,
sparse vocals, and patient song-craft. That these
musicians would touch me so strongly is no surprise,
given that they comprised of ˝
of the musical force
that created The Inbetween Time, a collection of
songs coated in
a spacey vibe. In fact, Kenotic
at times sounds like the logical extension of the
musical ideas found in The Inbetween Time, only
that the drones and atmosphere
are now allowed more
liberty to open up and overtake the listener. Yet,
while Hammock
breathes freedom into their
affected guitars, keyboards, cellos, whispered spoken
word
and field recordings, the duo has not abandoned
the sharp songwriting that has marked
their pre-Hammock
careers (Byrd and Thompson, in addition
to their stellar work with
Common Children, have
been involved on a variety of musical projects, such as
GlassByrd and the City on a Hill series).
Instead, on each of the 16 tracks on Kenotic,
Hammock pierces their atmospheric sound with
beautiful and haunting melodies that are
instantly
memorable.
Kenotic uses expansive guitars to play the bulk
of their melodies, but the band also
incorporates other
sounds into their music, such as pristine vocals from
Christine
Glass-Byrd, as well as the occasional
vocal from Byrd himself. Sixpence None the
Richer’s Matt Slocum plays the cello on
songs like “Blankets of Night”, while
The Choir’s
Steve Hindalong contributes his signature
percussion to a few tracks.
But, the main attraction on
Kenotic are the guitars, as evidenced on the
thick drones of
“Dawn Begins to Creep”, and the aptly
titled “Glacial”. Kenotic is not a one-trick
pony
when it comes to guitar work, though, as the band
mixes their use of droning sounds with
more
conventional playing: lead guitars play the melody of
songs like “Kenotic” and
“The Air Between Us”.
Hammock’s use of guitars on these tracks remind me
of the
playing of Monk. Other times, the drones
and lead guitar parts are blended together to
create
fluid moments of musicality, such as on “Stars in the
Rearview Mirror” and
“Blankets of Night”. On “Wish” and
the dramatic “What Heaven Allows”, light
electronics
are added to the mix, propelling the music forward with
an undeniable
momentum. “What Heaven Allows” is also
notable to Byrd’s passionate vocals buried
deep
in the mix yet still resonating with longing and
emotion.
In the end, to assess Kenotic with a track by
track analysis of would be unfair, because while
each
track is unique, self-contained, and noteworthy (none
of the 16 tracks are weak!), the
overall impact of the
entire collection is overwhelming. On Kenotic,
Hammock slows down
time, allowing the listener
space to breathe, consider, and meditate. The guitar
melodies echo
over and over in the listener’s ears long
after the CD is done playing, bathing the listener in
a
rare afterglow of musical satisfaction. Simply stated,
Kenotic is a triumph of sonic vision
that deeply
resonates with me. It is the perfect soundtrack to snow
falling, night driving,
stargazing, praying, Aurora
Borealis shows, and soul-searching. It’s hard for this
reviewer to
imagine someone listening to Kenotic
and not being moved the same way I have been
inspired
by these songs. But, even if such a stone-hearted
listener exists whose heart is
untouched by Hammock,
they will agree with me that, at the very least,
Kenotic is one
beautiful-sounding CD.
For fans of Windy and Carl, Stars of the Lid
, Common Children, and atmospheric music
in
general.
