Pick of the month for November 2006.

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


Website: Click Here
Music: Click Here
Label: Darla Records
Buy Link: Click Here



Tracklist
1. I Can Almost See You
2. Raising Your Voice...Trying to Stop an Echo
3. Losing You to You
4. When the Sky Pours Down Like a Fountain
5. The House Where We Grew Up
6. God Send Us a Signal
7. Clouds Cover the Stars
8. Floating Away in Every Direction
9. Take a Drink From My Hands
10. Startle the Heavens (Lament)
11. More Dead than Alive (Get Away From the Medicine)
12. Disappear Like the Morning...
13. ...Like Starlight into Day
14. Shipwrecked (Flat on Your Back)
15. Chorus of Trees
16. Passing Away
17. Will You Ever Love Yourself?
18. Sparkle and Fade

In 2004 Marc Byrd and Andrew Thompson set out to change the world. Not the world at large, but the world which was immediate to them, and in the process they created seventy minutes of music which they entitled Kenotic (vocabulary lesson: kenotic is derived from Kenosis, which means "the relinquishment of divine attributes by Jesus Christ in becoming human" -webster.com). Byrd and Thompson spent much of the 90s playing in different bands, traveling across the country playing for anyone who would care to listen, and living the very harsh reality of independent musicians. By the time the new millennium rolled around they had decided that a more comfortable life awaited them behind the control boards, helping others produce their music. Yet, that creative spark never dies inside of the musician and slowly the two began to collaborate and the resulting work was to fall under the umbrella of Hammock. These series of events are by no means unique to Byrd and Thompson, but only so many musicians can be tagged with the label "brilliant," and simply put, Hammock is breathtaking.

But, that's a pretty vague biographical summary, is it not? Indeed, Hammock is quite the elusive duo. You'd be hard pressed to find a photo of either Byrd or Thompson on the internet; instead the band opts to include images of universal themes such as trees, landscapes, runways, and the occasional interior of a church. Additionally, you probably don't want to hold your breath in anticipation of them going on a cross country tour--when they do gather for a performance it's rarely outside of the local vicinity of Nashville. It's noted that Hammock's music has been used during the Winter Olympics, and its even been sent up into space to keep the astronauts company. Even still, this reveals very little about the people behind Hammock, and I'd be a very poor journalist if I were to let the duo remain mysterious. But maybe you've caught all the subtle hints and a light has clicked on in your head: "There is something very spiritual about Hammock isn't there?" The facts slowly begin to unravel...

Marc Byrd and Andrew Thompson started making music together in Common Children, a Christian rock band that produced three cds and bit the dust early in the 2000s. After that the duo began to make this ambient/spacey music that would later become Hammock. It was never really meant to be anything special, but one day they woke up and realized they had written over 40 songs, so they figured that they may as well sell an album or two. While Thompson doesn't appear to be involved in other projects, Byrd also plays in The Choir and did a collaborative effort with his wife Christine Glass in 2003, appropriately titled Glassbyrd. For those interested, Glass often lends her vocals to Hammock tracks, and she has two solo albums herself.

So the secret is out; one of the most critically acclaimed "post-rock" bands is also a band that pastors will put on for a silent prayer. Allow me to take a moment to clarify. Byrd and Thompson do not view the music they make as being "Christian," no more so than they happen to be Christians who make music. In fact, I would go as far as to say that Hammock is likely an outlet for them to escape this generalization and make music that rises above religious labeling and semantic hoopla and instead touches on universal themes. In several interviews, Byrd and Thompson have expressed their deep interest and appreciation of post-rock artists, so it's not a stretch to see that they are enthralled to be able to contribute to this universal community that erases languages and boundaries and worships a little thing called the reverb pedal. Although religion obviously plays a very important aspect in the lives of the musicians who comprise Hammock, to cast it aside because of this minor detail would be a travesty. Hammock is currently one of the most important musical projects in the United States. The unearthing of Hammock's Christian background is meant to provide a greater understanding to the inner workings of the music, that of the spiritual essence, not to chastise it as preachy or attempt to question the musicians' motives.

However, does this not explain the totally transcendant feel of the music?

It's really not difficult to see where Hammock draws much of its influence. The duo has surely consumed it's fair share of experimental music from the past two decades, featuring, but in no way limited to: Stars of the Lid, Labradford, Brian Eno, Landing, Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, Max Richter and The Album Leaf. The overriding motivation behind Hammock's music would fall nicely into the category of shoegaze, and the resulting work is often instrumental and largely labeled as "post-rock." It's really a disservice to Byrd and Thompson, whose skill and creativity is phenomenal, not to make any mention of the wonderful song-writing that this duo is capable of creating. Although Hammock is, on the most basic level, just two guys making music, after really absorbing the essence of this project it becomes clear that this is the perhaps the least important aspect of Hammock. Hammock evokes an otherwordly feeling, and it is these feelings that really encompass Hammock. Byrd and Thompson are able to feeze time in a way that notes and chords no longer have any significance, and the only thing left to embrace the listener is this cornucopia of emotions that the duo have created. In many ways I would say that Hammock is primarily a storyteller; music is simply the medium in which they choose to communicate to their audience. As the tracks whirl by, a great story unfolds, and Byrd and Thompson never miss a beat.

Raising Your Voice...Trying to Stop an Echo had the very difficult task of following up the stellar Kenotic. This was made even more difficult after Stranded Under Endless Sky and The Sleepover Series: Volume I failed to reignite the flame that burned so brightly in Hammock's debut. To the duo's credit, these latter two discs were created with a much different intent than Kenotic, but the detour was enough to question whether or not Byrd and Thompson would ever return to the magical place they had discovered in the debut album. It was a relief when they announced that Raising Your Voice... would be the proper follow-up to Kenotic, and an even bigger relief when it not only met the high expectations set by the debut album, but exceeded them incredibly. When an artist is able to completely knock me off my feet with an album, it is very rare that with the subsequent release they are able to perform the same trick again -- as finite beings, humans are only capable of so much, and often this output is predictable or relies on a similar schema which enables the critic to accurately foresee the future of an artist. Even though I was greatly doubtful that Hammock could recreate Kenotic's magical aura (let alone totally trump it), Byrd and Thompson do exactly that.Raising Your Voice... takes the listener on another journey, only this one is not so upbeat (save the title track, which just makes you want to dance!). The methods employed by the band are similar to that of Kenotic, only the band's control of time is even more restrained and every note is tediously constructed to perfection. You really can't find a single note on this album that doesn't belong -- this is the extent to which Byrd and Thompson dissected the songs. However, the extremely contemplative nature of the music could be a turn off for some, who might become lost in the decreased momentum of the music and find the seventy minutes of music exhausting. I find the intricate workings of the album to be quite charming, and it's exactly this aspect of it which makes every listen a unique one. Don't relegate this to background music, to do so only shows a misunderstanding of the purpose of the music itself.

Whenever anyone is able to write eighteen songs and none of them can be classified as filler, I believe that is an accomplishment.Hammock has now crafted two albums which completely redefine the word "perfection." It's almost miraculous to see this kind of music coming from such an unexpected place, but perhaps that is exactly what makes it so unique and compelling. Once again Marc Byrd and Andew Thompson have outdone themselves in creating one of the year's best albums. What they have in store for the future is uncertain, but this is one act that deserves to be watched closely.

~Jordan Volz