About a year ago I was working a table at an outdoor festival, and a high school band came around handing out promo CDRs they had made. When I asked them what type of music they made, they replied with one word, "instrumental." The response seemed somewhat asinine, however, now, listening to Pullman's second and latest album, Viewfinder, I can think of no better way to describe it than simply being "instrumental."
Pullman (a supergroup featuring Bundy "The K is for Ken" Brown (Directions in Music, Tortoise), Curtis Harvey (Rex), Chris Brokaw (Come), Doug McCombs (Tortoise, Brokeback), and Tim Barnes (Jim O'Rourke's band)) are able to cover so many styles on this album that no other word but "instrumental" can describe them all. Made almost entirely of guitars, at least two or three being played at all times, Pullman's music can be linked to post-rock bands, Fahey-like folk, and Reich-like minimalism, but even those three categories do not fully describe the music here, as several songs follow distinct tangents, covering different styles like pure country, tone-based drone compositions, lonesome Southwestern soundscapes, or Spanish flamenco music. With all these styles, one would think Viewfinder lacked cohesion, but that is not the case; in fact, all of these different styles end up sounding almost exactly the same as they are all presented with the same low intensity and the same slow tempo and the same pristine sound.
In fact, with all these styles, the one style that you definitely could say is missing is rock. Everything is presented with such a mellow vibe that nothing here is really allowed to rock, not allowed to play with dynamics and energy. While the band's previous (and superior) album Turnstyles & Junkpiles, isn't at all a rock record, it did have a lot more vitality and spontaneity, things one often associates with rock music. Being recorded directly to tape in various practice spaces (mostly in Bundy Brown's loft) and using almost entirely acoustic instruments, Turnstyles... felt like a back porch jam session of really fabulous musicians. That feel is missing on Viewfinder, making it feel more clinical, possibly because, contrary to Turnstyles..., Viewfinder was recorded in a studio (Soma) using overdubbing and a lot more electricity. While this does make Viewfinder less enjoybale than its predecessor, it doesn't ruin the sound; it just makes the mood that much mellower.
Several songs are wonderful. The album starts out with several great songs. Album opener "Same Grain With New Wood" is one of the only bursts of color in the album, starting off quietly with intertwining guitar parts but blossoming with the addition of an electric guitar and drums to create a soothing, enveloping atmosphere of guitar sound. Those enamored by Jim O'Rourke's Bad Timing album will readily embrace "Or, Otherwise" and "Forty Fingers," as both are excellent studies on nimble Fahey-folk fingerwork, giving the listener complex, fast paced progressions that are still accessible. At these beginning moments of the album, the listener hears all that is good about Pullman, their guitar progressions creating a soft and gentle field of sounds, the complexity of the guitar parts trickling like raindrops on the mind. The feel is somewhat like a quiet, leisurely walk down a nature trail of meadows and plains. However, like any nature trail, once one has walked down the path a mile or two, it becomes hard to differentiate one section of the path from another.
After this great opening, the album settles into something of a rut, suffering from its consistently low key nature. Several songs stand out. "Felucca" starts off as a folk guitar piece, quite similar to several previous songs, that creates a forlorn tone. However, this opening guitar part is countered by a second more, forceful guitar whose upbeat nature incites an opposite reaction. The contrast between the two guitar parts makes this a really enjoyable song, alternating between a desolate, lonely feel and a more joyful one. The album's closing track, "Brewster Road," is also magnificent, combining three disparate sounds. The song starts off with a half-range-high wall of sound from guitar feedback, like a drowsier version of My Bloody Valentine. The guitar that pierces out of this half-wall of sound is odd though, for it sounds a lot like a banjo. Later the banjo and feedback are combined with some sliding notes from a lap steel, creating a wonderful merger of styles and sounds.
Viewfinder is an album with several truly wonderful songs. However, in the end, despite all the styles and types of guitars employed, by keeping the tempo and intensity stagnant, the album still can seem too monochromatic and monotonous. Viewfinder is more effectively enjoyed with a finger on the fast forward button.
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