Opsvik & Jennings: A Dream I Used To Remember

Maintaining a higher profile than Jennings, Opsvik's collaborations with Kris Davis, Jon Irabagon, Tony Malaby and Jeremy Udden are just a few of the artists Opsvik has recorded and performed with since his relocation to Brooklyn.

Although this project is only tangentially related to traditional jazz, the duo's improvisational skills are reflected in the sophisticated harmonies and concise arrangements that drive their buoyant songs. Bursting with verdant Americana, pastoral folk and nostalgic old world ambience, these pieces sit comfortably alongside the work of their indie rock brethren.

Expanding their palette beyond their usual mix of banjo, acoustic guitar, steel guitar, upright bass, trap set and pump organ, they employ a brass section and vocal choir, pushing into lush panoramic territory. The vocal choir provides ethereal lilt to the bouncy "Swimming Back into the Picture," while the brass section adorns "Anchor Lane Parade" with mellifluous support. Together they blend seamlessly on the sweepingly lyrical "September and Starry-eyed." On their own, the duo crafts ebullient, tuneful melodies, like "The Good Eye," an exemplary pop confection.

Opsvik and Jennings' bucolic, electro-acoustic soundscapes find stylistic accord in the post-rock of such innovators as Mouse On Mars, Sigur Rós and Tortoise, sharing many similarities with the seminal late-'90s recordings of Gastr Del Sol (aka, David Grubbs and Jim O'Rourke). Where Grubbs and O'Rourke often ventured into more avant-garde territory, Opsvik and Jennings stay on the straight and narrow, making A Dream I Used To Remember a delightfully quirky, but always accessible instrumental pop record.

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