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Nobody & Mystic Chords of Memory

Tree Colored See

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by Ruben_James on 10/12/2006

Gram Parsons coined the term “Cosmic American Music” to describe his brand of music with the Flying Burrito Brothers that united country, rock, soul, and rhythm & blues. Hip hop wouldn’t enter the mainstream consciousness for another ten years. But, Gram was keen on borrowing from everything that was going on, or had gone on, in music. What if hip hop had made its appearance a decade earlier? Would the Grievous Angel himself have experimented with beats and loops? Who knows...

Now, I hate to bring up Gram Parsons in a review for Chris Gunst’s (formerly of Beachwood Sparks) latest project, Nobody & Mystic Chords of Memory. Lord knows that four out of five Beachwood Sparks reviews mentioned Parsons or the Byrds. However, that term, “Cosmic American Music”, just seems to fit so well on Tree Colored See.

Gunst formed Mystic Chords of Memory with Jen Cohen (Aislers Set), his now wife, after the demise of Beachwood Sparks in 2002. Their self-titled debut was released in 2004 and featured much of the same charm Gunst brought to Beachwood--only on a smaller, more lo-fi scale. (Check out an MP3 of “Sure, Bert” from that album.) It’s sunny California pop that’s not terribly far from the hazy psychedelic country of his former band.

Tree Colored See finds Mystic Chords taking a bold step forward in collaborating with hip hop beat wizard, Elvin Estela (Nobody). This is where we return to the whole “Cosmic American Music” thing. I hear everything in these songs--pop, hip hop, electronica, folk, country, psychedelic rock... the list could go on. It’s all pretty f*ckin’ cosmic too, dude. I’ve really never heard anything quite like this record. And I really like that about it. Fresh...

“Broaden a New Sound” (MP3) is a perfect psychedelic pop song with a driving hip hop beat and spacey interludes to break up the urban monotony. “Coyote's Song (When You Hear It Too)” (MP3) and “Memory” feature the country-tinged sound Gunst has done so well for years. Only this time there is the added layer of Nobody’s fresh take on the sound.

I could rattle off more highlights, but that’s just it... there really aren’t many highlights due to the album’s overall consistency. I will, however, use this space to tip my hat to Tree Colored See’s album cover. This one gets my vote for best album artwork of the year.

I’m really surprised that Tree Colored See hasn’t received more attention. Maybe it’s just a late bloomer. Let’s hope so. Or maybe it’s a vast left-wing blog-spiracy! Let’s hope not.

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My Mixtape Broaden A New Sound [MP3]

Album Details

Year: 2006
Label: Mush
Producer: Nobody & Mystic Chords of Memory
Musicians: Chris Gunst, Jennifer Cohen, Elvin Estela

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Tracklist

1	The Seed
2	Decisions, Decisions
3	Broaden A New Sound
4	Coyote's Song (When You Hear It Too)
5	Memory
6	Klaw Prints
7	Walk In The After Light
8	When The End Meets The Beginning
9	Feet Upon The Sand
10	Softer Sail
11	Floating

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