Bevel
Phoenician Terrane
Bevel is a one-man-and-his-friends act from the Chicago area. Via Nuon is the one man, his friends are an octet of musicians (featuring players from Manishevitz and Califone, among others) supplying various amounts of orchestration. Nuon’s “soft” guitars and hypnotic everyman vocals and the backing band a.k.a The Mono No Aware Assemblage For Acts I-IV form a brisk swirl of americana.
The most distinct feature of Phoenician Terrane is it’s “open” sound. Notes are plucked and then carry, linger, and fade into the atmosphere. Sounds hang on like that last leaf before winter. Normally the ingredients here (lush arrangements, slow tempos, no sharp musical edges) would make you think of warm, cozy tunes to curl up next to, instead one gets a precise chill that’s refreshing but not altogether fresh, and sounds that are disconcerting but not altogether challenging. Perhaps Nuon found a way to make pleasant background music for the cave of a cold, heartless hermit.
There are instrumental interludes here and there, and while usually such passages are considered filler on a pop album, the ones here carry a brief glimpse of calm melody and distinct personality. Visions of a bird flying by your window early in the morning come to mind. While most songs are only around the 2 minute mark, the group somehow finds a way to expand time, unfolding slowly but still ultimately giving you the full picture in 120 seconds.
Highlights here include “Low Income Glade” sheerly for it’s beautiful intro, “The Purchase” for it’s sinister crawl, “A Forest Ends” for it’s 4AD-like haze, and “(Vice Versa) Protect What You Love” for giving Sam Beam a run for his money in the hummable acoustic pop department.
Overall, the whole album is one long strain of dreams and stories, and while one could tune out for a cat nap during it’s play (14 songs hovering around 32 minutes total), I think the rewards found while tuning in are worth it.
Hip Displeasure 
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