Seaworthy & Taylor Deupree

Letting nature take the lead, 12k label boss Taylor Deupree and Cameron Webb (Seaworthy) spent three days trudging through a New York nature preserve gathering the sounds of crunching snow, trickling water and wind through dry winter leaves as inspiration for their collaboration, Wood, Winter, Hollow. The three pieces, broken up by a couple of unaccompanied field recordings, interpret nature in subtly different ways. Opener "Wood" nicely incorporates a blossoming pattern from Webb's nylon string guitar and chimes into the soft flow of a stream and enveloping crackle of ice and wind. "Winter" meanders a little aimlessly, like a snowshoer criss-crossing his own trail. Finally, "Hollow" has a post-twilight threat that creeps into its pastoral sanctuary; Webb's guitars grow more emphatic, and eventually stray static peals simulate animalistic fright in a truly affecting and uneasy way. It's a masterful example on how source and composition can intertwine seamlessly.