Review: 2 From Deep Water Acres - Sagas / Mike Tamburo

It's all been a quiet over at Deep Water Acres for a while...a good couple of years since their lush CD version of E GONE's 'Advice To Hill Walkers' was released (in conjunction with Sunrise Ocean Bender). The good news is that this month saw the release of a couple of brilliant new albums from Sagas and Mike Tamburo (both, incidentally, alumni of the ace Psychic Frost).

Sagas - The Last Door

Sagas is Matt McDowell who, aside from Psychic Frost, was in the original incarnation of Dire Wolves and has been plying his trade under the Sagas banner for a while. With 'The Last Door' he has produced an album of quiet beauty and infinite creativity. It opens with the American Primitive 'Bristlecone Blues' - his finger-picked acoustic guitar, beautifully played, is hauntingly gorgeous and the steady hum and crackle of the electric guitar adds a frisson of drama and danger...absolutely freakin' sublime! 'Aura Photos' is very West Coast / Laurel Canyon, more acoustic / electric guitar interplay but with a sunnier aspect than 'Bristlecone...' and sounds like the jauntier end of The Dead jamming with CSN. Even when things get a bit heavier, it cannot fail to bring a smile to the face - real life-affirming stuff. 'Permutations For Lap Steel' is a lovely slice of guitar drone that grows and shifts along its course, occasionally falling into a laid-back freak-out with layers of distortion and feedback (the press blurb likens it to "Henry Flynt recording for PSF" and I can't really better that!). It is a magnificent track that defies categorisation - melancholic but mellifluous. 'The Mysteries Of Mirror Lake' is another delicate track of acoustic beauty that has a distinct eastern motif running throughout. It's power, if that is not a misnomer, is in its simplicity - no overly complicated structures just filigree guitar lines and some subtle drones - it is transcendental and immersive and just so bloody lush! The title track closes this collection with more understated guitar (electric and acoustic) and some vocals from McDowell, the addition of which transforms the song into a bucolic folk number that tugs at the heart strings. I'm no fan of 'country' music but there is something about this, with the steel guitar and vocals, that is attractive - whether it's the distinctly psychedelic guitar section in the middle or just its inherent beauty, I don't know, but it is sublime.



Mike Tamburo - Aquarian Drifter

Mike Tamburo, again aside from Psychic Frost, has released material as Brother Ong (very meditative / new age) and Crown Of Eternity (yoga / sound therapy). With 'Aquarian Drifter' he seemingly draws upon every former incarnation to produce and album of guitar / loop based kosmische bliss and ambient beauty. 'Last Nights' is a repetition based track anchored by Tamburo's guitar and delicate drones while 'Hubble's Eye' takes the drones and places them firmly centre stage and so creating a dense but luminescent track that channels the spirit of Froese et al. 'Epic Transport' is just that....a track that lifts the listener and transports them on clouds of gossamer guitar drones ..elegant and absolutely irrestible. 'Edwin' reminded me of some of Loren Connor's more tranquil output - it has that same stately grace about it and that ability to suspend time while 'Tundra Swan' (if I ever find any musical talent myself and form a band, 'Tundra Swan' will be what I call it!). I was gonna draw some analogy to a swan, the whole 'on top all is grace while below is frenetic paddling' but there is nothing frenetic about this...it is layer upon layers of gentle drone than come together to make a piece that is introspective and contemplative...it is pure zen. 'Moment or Momento' has an oscillating pulse that sits beneath Tamburo's guitar and so the track seems more structured than the rest but the bliss and the wistfulness is still there. The same is true of 'Clock Watcher'.. added electronica flourishes only add to the vibe. The wonderfully named 'Aahhaa (part 1)' is a true standout - another multi-layered joy that takes the drones and loops and adds some twinkling electronica to produce something unique, something ineffably beautiful and deeply mystical. The album is closed with the somewhat apocalyptic sounding 'Final Days' but is anything but...another delightful foray into chiming guitar and luxurious drones that wraps up a deeply satisfying and beautiful album.



Both these albums have an intrinsic beauty that pretty much sums up the Deep Water Acres ethos. Both are out now on CD via the Sunrise Ocean Bender webshop (SOB are handling the distro) here.