Brightblack Morning Light - Brightblack Morning Light

7.5 - USA - 2006

The second album from everyone's favourite sea-shore dwelling hippie duo. Whereas the debut (sans the Morning Light) traded in atmospheric wooden drones (ambient music played on acoustic guitars), things pick up a bit here. Perhaps "pick up" is the wrong word, as the tempos are not markedly increased, yet there is much more of a groove here. In fact, you could almost describe this album as "funky". Pretty much every track sounds the same: the Fender Rhodes starts out with a simple vamping riff, Shineywater adds some deliberately strummed guitar and verbed out vocals, while the drums and bass lay down an easy hi-hat groove with some gently rattling percussion (also of note: I have great faith in any album drummed by a "Magic" Andy). A few scattered horns and woodwinds crop up amidst the nature boy musings. I can dig it, even if the last track is titled "We Share Our Blanket With The Owl".