Man, I’m a month behind again, and once more, am posting about a new release that I slept on until Pitchfork reminded me of its existence.  To quote my beloved Peter and Raymond:  “you blew another thing, tonight!” (no clue why Peter emphasizes the word “thing” rather than “another”).

So Hush Arbors has a new album out on Ectstatic Peace! called Yankee Reality.  And if you didn’t already know, I adore Hush Arbors.  The band’s last album was ridiculously consistent psychedelic folk (not unlike a better, poppier Skygreen Leopards, or a more contemplative Ladybug Transistor) that risked being swallowed up in the deluge of folk releases last winter.  Which is unfair, because Hush Arbors has always been vastly superior to the Vetivers and Death Vessels of the world and, I’ll go ahead and say it, they have way the hell more chest hair than the most recent, castrato-chorus incarnations of Iron and Wine and Bon Iver.   Like all of these groups, Yankee Reality is basically a one-man show: the intensely prolific Keith Wood helms things, although J. Mascis lays down guest guitar on a couple of tracks here (coincidentally, on the two that I’ve put up for download below).

I’ve stuck a little image of Keith over there on the right.  Based purely on looks, he seems like he’d be a fun companion for some civil war reenactment, or perhaps a lunch at Freeman’s.

So let’s see.  What else.  I dunno.  These are classic songs, very consistently written and recorded.  As always, there’s a death-hippie Laurel Canyon feel that I think maybe Devendra Banhart also strives for but never quite achieves.  For Hush Arbors, the vibe seems to come effortlessly, like an uncalculated way of life.

Take a listen to the tracks below and tell me what you think–I’ve slagged off about a half dozen “freak-folk” bands in this review, so I’m sure you’ve got thoughts here.

–guten MORGAN

• For While You SleptFor While You Slept
• Day BeforeDay Before