Longtime Tortoise and Eleventh Dream Day member Douglas Andrew McCombs' first solo release under his own name is a sparse, fluidly progressing set of improvisations and textural meditations. It's significantly more intimate-sounding than the lush arrangements of his group Brokeback, but it draws from some of the same sonic inspirations, particularly Spaghetti Western scores at their most expansive. "Two to Coolness" opens the album with an alarming burst of abrasive, fuzzed-out feedback, giving the listener the impression that this is going to be a rough, challenging ride. After a few minutes, though, the storm clears up and McCombs plays clean, stretched-out guitar lines that reverberate and spread warmth throughout the empty room. Eventually an evenly paced bassline emerges, bobbing against McCombs' expressive guitar melodies as well as slowly drifting drumming by Calexico's John Convertino and Sam Prekop's gently flashing synth clouds. "Green Crown's Step" is a brief, rootsy acoustic guitar piece that feels like a bottled, studio-contained version of a flow of ideas one would have while playing the instrument in a calm outdoor space. "Two Whose Fall Shadows" is somewhat like a more glacial variation on the ambient country subgenre, starting out with lonesome bass playing before dissolving into atmospheric drone. Time escapes, and when McCombs' guitar finally emerges from the glow, it's positively arresting. The final section is closer to stripped-down Brokeback, with slowcore drums, atmospheric shading, and truly gorgeous guitar playing that takes its time to reveal its simple, elegant beauty. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi

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