Last we heard from Daniel Bachman, the Virginia native was pushing his American primitive chops to ear-piercing new levels of intensity, drawing out rusty drones to undercut his fingerstyle approach and elevating his riverside instrumentals to elemental new places in the process. As “New Moon” hints at, he’s got similar plans in mind for his new album The Morning Star. Opening on a midnight hum abuzz with crickets and lightly plucked strings, the song slowly unfurls into a raga as pensive and bountiful as anything the guitarist has ever done. At almost 14 minutes, it drips and spools as Bachman bends his strings until they practically moan, taking his time and sinking into the textures of his instrument with a dizzying sense of wonder. It’s a nocturnal back-porch solo voyage, one that manages to dip back into the well of folk music and pull forth shades of its essence that we still haven’t quite uncovered yet.
The Morning Star comes out July 27 on Three Lobed Recordings. Listen to “New Moon” below, and feel the autumn breeze pour forth.
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