Album review: Damon and Naomi, 'False Beats and True Hearts'
3 stars (out of 4)
The former rhythm section of slow-core masters Galaxie 500, Damon Krukowksi and Naomi Yang make music that takes its time, in no hurry to impress on "False Beats and True Hearts" (20/20/20). It glides rather than gallops – especially when Yang sings in a voice as light as a breeze rippling through lace curtains – which makes it perfect background for all sorts of civilized activities. But zoom in on the jewel-like songs and the group’s rigorously controlled brilliance – wedding acid-folk’s hazy glow to chamber-pop’s lush detail – can be hypnotic.
With Michio Kurihara’s guitar lines twisting around becalmed vocals like vines, the duo builds miniature gardens of sound – deceptively serene settings for songs about deception, memory, the knowledge that “the dawn won’t come till the night settles down.” That fragile perspective has proven remarkably resilient over 25 years and seven quietly impressive studio albums.
greg@gregkot.com