Holykyle

VINYL FORMAT. Pairdown is the collaboration of Pittsburgh-based singer-guitarists David Leicht and Raymond Morin. The two met and began performing together in 2005. Holykyle builds on fundamentals of the previously released EP with increasingly complex writing and guitar arrangements enlivened by electric bass and tight drumming. Over the course of ten songs, Morin and Leicht trade off lead and accompanying vocal duties, with important contributions by Nate McDermott (of the Boston-based group Paper Thin Stages). The record opens with "Percy In Her Hairfork," about a Gulf War deserter harbored by a former lover. The sprawling narrative floats seamlessly over a meandering jazz chord progression decorated with ornate harmonies. "Spotted Eye" is a joyful tune penned by Morin, based on his past illustrated work. The title track, "Holykyle," is a surrealist's paean set against a hypnotic tapestry of finger picked guitars, cymbal washes and percussion. Despite the occasional folk-blues guitar phrase or psychedelic turn, Holykyle does not feel like a period piece. Its stylistic precedents range from vintage acoustic-rock hybrids like Leo Kottke's Mudlark and Love's Forever Changes, to modern polyphonic guitar experiments epitomized by Gastr Del Sol's post-rock masterpiece, Upgrade and Afterlife.