Sleep Whale

I suspect the "Sleep" portion of Whale, were it ever to be discovered, would be pocket-sized, iridescent and have a taste for field strawberries and windy days at the cottage. Joel North and Bruce Blay are a pair of Texans who used to go by "mom," if that further clue to their warmth and humanity is helpful. Little Brite flows in at just under half-an-hour, taking wide-eyed guitars, cellos and violins and letting them wander through the synaptic Sargasso of digital effects. The result is a grin-inducing suite that resembles the Books or label-mates Balmorhea (to whom Blay also contributes) at their Sunday mellowest. From the trotting rhythm and chopped watery samples of "Skipping Stones" to the droning cirrus sunset of the title track, North and Blay capture the mood of careless afternoons with just a little too much sun, and the dreams of miniature whales that come later.