#patterner

Beck has made three previous albums as Golden Brown. He’s also a member of Prairiewolf, another outfit concerned with hypnagogic twang. So it will not surprise you, perhaps, to find that these compositions are warm and organic, but aiming also at wonder. “Patterner,” for instance, begins in radiant flurries of picking, a melodic line that arcs towards sunlight but also dips into deep, considering shadow. Yet as the tune cuts through chiaroscuro landscapes, it picks up otherworldly sounds, the burble and glitch of synthesizer and the deep velvetly throb of bowed strings (Sara Beck on cello). It’s as natural as a forest clearing but shivering with spirits and spells.

“Cempasúchil” is more bucolic, country porch picking entwined with frolicsome cello melodies. It commemorates an Aztec legend in which lovers are separated by death, and the woman, begging to die, too, is instead transformed into a cempasúchil, or marigold. The song captures that transformation from heartache into brilliant yellow flora, dark and bright by turns.

Patterner relies heavily on guitar, but it’s far more orchestral and nuanced than the average solo guitar record. The way that the Becks, Stefan and Sara, interact is especially fetching. They have an intuitive sense for each other, where they’ll go next and where to leave room. As for Beck’s reading assignment, you can certainly listen to this album unaccompanied by literature. It’s also pretty delightful with a book in your hand. I’m reading A Wizard of Earthsea right now.