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While the number of Davenport releases has grown and grown, they still manage to never record the same thing twice. Only one release is a joyous raga: Springtime on Saturnalia, only one release is backporch folk: Free Country, only one release is tiny wind-up box drone: Tongue of Bear. That said, there are threads that flow through all the releases, and certain releases seem tied together, for example, Little Howling Jubilee is the more menacing yang to Springtime's yin. For another such pairing, Marble Seed, one of Davenport's more recent releases, seems intimately tied to the August 2004 recording Owl Movement, but while Owl Movement was loud and spooky with lots of echoing feedback and vocal wails, Marble Seed is, for the most part, subdued. As the title is a type of wild flower, you can tell this release stays relatively close to the earth, never soaring into the air and trees like Owl Movement did. In this 26-minute recording, our ears are first greeted by a plaintive violin and soft rattling chimes. Another member of the group starts thumping on a piece of wood, adding a beat to the beautiful violin part. As the violin drops out, feedback creates a still toned-down dark cloud of sound. A trembling guitar string twitches throughout, as water sounds, creaking wooden planks, and clanging pots fill out the marshy vibe. Suddenly, the rattling sound grows in volume into a yelping maelstrom of feedback, as all the band joins together in a short freakout. As the storm subsides, a gently picked guitar slowly gets the song going again, this time the band joining back together for a spirited march. The violin plays a similarly sweeping piece as a mallet to the bass drum creates a fast, steady tempo. A quiet electric guitar lurks underneath, playing off the strings, adding rhythm, texture, and, towards the end, countermelody. This is a great recording of the band, like a distorted view of an Appalachain folk/hillbilly jam session that powerfully evokes the fields and terrain that inspired it.

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