(03.01.09) Sunday morning. Or afternoon, but a slow day for certain. I push play and am abruptly somewhere else, immersed in field recording and tones, giving way slowly to soothing music. I am listening to M. Templeton & aA. Munson’s Acre Loss, and the CD, along with a nice cup of coffee, is hitting the spot. Stuttering, delayed strings, birds chirping and a natural, optimistic audio haze pushes the start of my day at just the right pace.
As the sound digs a little deeper, I lose track of the moment until some nice fuzzy, guitar like textures, resting under a lazy melody, grab my attention in a manner Fennesz does. The music here, though, is much more simple, less processed, and the plucking of strings and field recordings more present. Appropriately, the clattering of a kitchen eventually starts to emerge, making me feel as if I am in my favorite Austin coffee shop, Bouldin Creek, anxiously awaiting my late morning breakfast tacos, while it starts to downpour outside.
This is a beautiful CD, and with each listen I am drawn to something new and enjoy it more and more — so much in fact that I tracked down Mark Templeton’s earlier release Standing on a Humming Bird, which, while similar, has a bit more glitch and is less fluid.
Acre Loss shares a lot in common with the work of Mountains or the recent Koen Holtkamp Field Rituals, though Acre Loss has a more nostalgic feel, not unlike The Books or Part Timer.
There is plenty of texture and life on Acre Loss to accompany most any morning and to my ears it is a reminder to take a breath and appreciate the things around me. Highly recommended. DVD to be reviewed in the near future.
Acre Loss is out now on Anticipate. [Purchase
