C Joynes - Tom Winter, Tom Spring (LP)

Facts Debut LP by the duo of Gangloff and Joynes, finding novel ways to combine their accomplished takes on avant folk, American primitive, and outsider sound into a unique and beautiful jumble. Side A's "Rapid City" is a brisk fingerpicked jaunt featuring Joynes' unique acoustic/electric hybrid sound, followed by "West Cavalier" where Gangloff's sawing fiddle and Joynes' guitar take on a straight mountain-style tune. "Two Bishops" is a languorous and atmospheric Joynes' guitar feature that slips into an extended minor key fingerpicked tremolo. Gangloff's "The Other Side of Catawba" is a solo fiddle staple from his recent repertoire (and heard on his VHF LP "Evening Measures"), rendered here in a haunting, reverberant version. The old-time staple "Sail Away Ladies" closes the side at a tempo made for a country store dance. Side B takes a more expansive and outré attitude, with Joynes' nimble "An Opening" (and the brief noise interlude "Eight Sets of Inverted Commas") setting up the lengthy "Witch Marks," which closes proceedings with a dark and droning vibe.