Hammock, Raising Your Voice...Trying to Stop an Echo

by dave heaton

The Nashville-based duo Hammock's mostly instrumental third LP is an exercise in drifting. The music surrounds us to emulate the feeling that we're floating - this necessarily brings to mind space, water, and expansive landscapes like deserts and plains. Song titles like "Clouds Cover the Stars" do much to further that impression, while other titles add themes of spirituality, of desperation, of existence. Those references make the point that this music has deeper intentions than just to meander. But the music itself clearly makes that point, too. There's thoughtful composition here, and skillful playing - no signs of laziness or slacking off, even as the music drifts and drifts. These 18 songs feel open-ended, but also carefully structured. They contain visceral textures and melodies, not just a general mood. Raising Your Voice is a cloud of air, but one that leaves a distinct, physical impression. When they exist, the lyrics possess a questioning sort of physicality, too, through memorable lines like "Still the stars shine down on your skin / do you see them / you're just like them now."

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