The premise appears to have been to find a part-composed, part-improvised space between folk music, chamber classical and the post-rock movement, and Timbre Hollow succeeds rather well on those terms. Both guitarists play acoustic, with the playing style and production giving them an almost lute-like quality at times. This along with the other instrumentation can give the odd feel of a late-baroque chamber ensemble having time-traveled to the 20th century, then remembering the musical progress they've witnessed in strange fits and starts.
The opening three-part suite ThaRoman (Formerly Valerie White) is a case in point, as passages of beauty and subtlety are railroaded from time to time by knotty experimentation that just about holds together; the 12-minute third section could've benefited from some trimming. The remaining three tracks are more succinct. Somewhere Near Denton initially sounds like a guitar-tuning exercise, but settles down into a nice minimal duet with some ambient field recording towards the end. The Machine showcases the core trio's interplay at its best, and the closing Tension As Opposed To Tension is the most atmospheric, with a gamelan influence. This album will at least be interesting to most listeners, and no doubt some folks will find it right up their street.
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