Greg Davis is a musician based in Chicago, slowly developing and integrating the sounds of his varied acoustic instruments with laptop processing across a plethora of singles and compilation tracks, culminating in two wonderful albums on Carpark records. The sounds created by his close friend and musical collaborator, Keith Fullerton Whitman (aka Hrvatski), perhaps provide the most convenient parallel to Greg's work, subtly stretching and softly mutating the sounds of familiar acoustic instruments into delicate and sometimes intense weaves of heavy ambience. This Lux Nigra vinyl is set to coincide with the issue of his third album 'Somnia' for the Kranky label, collecting drone-oriented material Davis has been working over the last couple of years. The lengthy a-side piece 'Diaphanous' included here, in fact, is an extended version of an edit which will appear on the cd-only kranky album, and finds Davis in his most organic and involving form yet, playing toy harmonica, piano and a six string acoustic guitar that's then slowly and breathlessly treated by his delicately handled laptop. The tones that come out of the process bear little immediate resemblance to the instrument of origin, taking on extended and diffuse forms of their own. As a bonus, the two b-side pieces are exclusives, 'Deterior' may otherwise be located somewhere near the crisped improvisation of someone like Rosy Parlane or perhaps a less abrasive Fennesz, 'Swell' is almost entirely benign, beautifully weighted waves of melody, allowed to gradually unspool, like finely spun wool. Gorgeous.
